Michigan
Wake Forest
Wake Forest Tops Michigan in ACC/Big Ten Challenge
11/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite double-double performances by senior Josh Asselin (Caro, Mich./Caro HS) and junior Chris Young (Plymouth, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central HS), the University of Michigan men's basketball team dropped a 71-60 decision to No. 12 Wake Forest in the second annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge Tuesday (Nov. 28) at Crisler Arena.
Asselin finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth career double-dip, while Young recorded his second in four games, with 10 points and a career-high-tying 13 rebounds. Sophomore LaVell Blanchard (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) finished with 13 points and eight rebounds and freshman Bernard Robinson Jr. (Washington, D.C./New Hampton Prep [N.H.]) finished with 12 points and seven rebounds to give the Wolverines four players in double figures. Wake Forest's Robert O'Kelley led the way for the Demon Deacons with a game-high 19 points.
Michigan (2-2) controlled the tip and after a Wake Forest turnover, Avery Queen (Moreno Valley, Calif./Redemption Christian Academy [N.Y.]) hit an uncontested jumper to open the game's scoring. After Wake Forest (5-0) got on the board with a jumper by Darius Songaila, Queen came right back down and hit a three-pointer to give the Wolverines a 5-2 early lead. For the next two minutes, the Wolverines and the Demon Deacons exchanged inside baskets, with Wake Forest getting the early edge to build a 12-9 lead.
Wake Forest extended its lead after an O'Kelley drive and layup, but a pair of Asselin free throws and a Blanchard turnaround jumper helped bring the Wolverines within one point of the Wake Forest lead. Blanchard then hit another turnaround jumper from the free throw line to give U-M the lead back 15-14. An Asselin inside pass to Young and a Maurice Searight (Orchard Lake, Mich./St. Mary's HS) free throw put U-M up four. Young then struck again with an in-the-air putback on a Robinson Jr. miss to force a Wake Forest timeout with the Wolverines up 20-14 with 9:29 to go.
The Demon Deacons ended a four-minute scoring drought with a three-pointer by Broderick Hicks and hit again on an O'Kelley jumper, which brought Wake Forest within one. O'Kelley then went on his own run with a pair of layups to put Wake Forest up three. Blanchard answered with a run of his own on a pair of free throws and a baseline jumper after his own miss to keep Michigan within one, 25-24, with 3:28 remaining. Michigan and Wake Forest continued to exchange baskets as Robinson Jr. collected Michigan's final two baskets to give the Wolverines a 32-29 halftime lead.
Michigan opened the second half with an Asselin putback and a Young one-handed dunk to put the Wolverines up seven, 36-29 with 17:05 to go. Michigan continued to dominate inside as Young had another putback after a Robinson Jr. miss, followed by an Asselin layin to put the Wolverines up nine. Wake Forest then struck with its first basket by Josh Shoemaker, nearly five minutes after the start of the second stanza.
Michigan and Wake Forest then exchanged back-and-forth baskets, but the Wolverines still held a 44-36 lead with 13:43 to go. The Demon Deacons climbed back into the game with a jumper by Scott and a layup by Josh Howard cutting the lead to two. Robinson Jr. struck back with a layup high off the glass. After a media timeout and with the shotclock expiring O'Kelley hit a three-pointer to give Wake Forest the lead 47-46 with 10:57 remaining.
The back-and-forth battle continued as the Demon Deacons slowly built a five-point lead. However, a Queen three-pointer stopped the drought as the Wolverines trailed by only two, 53-51, with 7:44 remaining. The next minute and a half, the two teams exchanged fouls, but Wake Forest capitalized on free throws to extend its lead to six, 57-51, with 5:43 to go. A pair of free throws for Young helped U-M break its drought, but O'Kelley hit another triple to put the Demon Deacons up nine, 62-53.
Wake Forest then capitalized on Michigan turnovers and missed free throws as the Demon Deacons continued to build their lead to nine points with 1:26 left. The Wolverines were forced to foul with under a minute left to try and get back into the game, but the lead was too much as U-M lost 71-60.
Michigan heads to Washington, D.C., to participate in the BB&T Classic, Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 2-3) at the MCI Center. The Wolverines will take on No. 13/14 Maryland in the opener Saturday at 1 p.m. St. John's will face George Washington in game two at 3 p.m. The Classic will conclude Sunday with third-place game at 3 p.m., followed by the championship game at 5:30 p.m.
N O T E S
-- Senior Josh Asselin collected his eighth career double-double with his 12 points and 11 rebounds against Wake Forest. His last double-double was against Iowa (Jan. 22, 2000) with 22 points and 11 rebounds. His 11 rebounds also gave him his 10th career game with double-digit rebounds.
-- Junior Chris Young collected his second career double-double with his 10 points and a career-high-tying 13 rebounds against Wake Forest. Young had his first collegiate double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds in the win against Western Michigan (Nov. 21).
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
