Michigan
Illinois
Wolverines Struggle from Field, Fall at No. 7 Illinois
1/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team dropped a 80-51 outcome to Illinois (No. 7 Associated Press, No. 8 ESPN/USA Today) on Saturday (Jan. 13) at Assembly Hall. The Wolverines struggled all night from the field, hitting on only 28 percent from the floor, and committed 21 turnovers. LaVell Blanchard (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) was the only Wolverine in double figures with 15 points and seven rebounds. Josh Asselin (Caro, Mich./Caro HS) came one point shy of a double-double as he had nine points and grabbed 10 boards.
Michigan (7-7, 1-2 Big Ten) started out cold from the field, going 1-10 after the tip. Asselin got the Wolverines on the board on a put-back following an offensive rebound. Illinois (13-4, 3-1 Big Ten) went on a 12-2 run over an eight-minute span, before Josh Moore (Newark, N.J./St. Thomas More Prep) put a baby hook in the bucket to make it a 15-6 game at the 12:05 mark.
Freshman Avery Queen (Moreno Valley, Calif./Redemption Academy) used a crossover dribble with the shot-clock winding down to hit a triple from the top of the key, giving Michigan its first field goal in almost six minutes. Blanchard hit the Wolverines' second trey of the half on their next possession after some good ball movement found him on the wing.
The first half was slowed by fouls adding up on both teams and many opportunities at the free throw line. Blanchard hit the last bucket for the Maize and Blue before the half on a mid-range jumper, making it a 34-23 Illinois lead at halftime. U-M hurt itself, shooting only 26 percent from the field and committing 15 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play. However, the Wolverines took advantage of the charity stripe, connecting on 11-16 from the line. Blanchard led Michigan at intermission with 10 points and six rebounds.
Michigan started the second half with Bernard Robinson Jr. (Washington, D.C./New Hampton Prep) hitting a pair of free throws at the 17:07 mark to stop a 5-0 run for the Illini. The Wolverines wouldn't hit their first field goal of the half until 13:30 on the clock, when Asselin took a hard foul in the post but still finished the basket off the glass, making it a 51-29 game.
The Wolverines' offense came alive as they scored on three of their next four possessions. First Leon Jones (Battle Creek, Mich./Winchendon Prep) hit a three in the corner, and freshman Maurice Searight (Orchard Lake, Mich./St. Mary HS) then added a deuce with a driving layup in between the Illinois defense. Robinson Jr. finished off the mini-run with a nice look-away dish to Asselin for a two-handed slam. Asselin was fouled on the play and hit the free throw to bring the score to 55-37 with 11:29 remaining.
Illinois extended its lead over the next eight minutes, with Michigan manageing only made one field goal in that time. Blanchard gave the Wolverines a late spark, scoring five straight points for the Maize and Blue to make the score 72-48 with only 2:46 left in the game. But it would be the final run the Wolverines could muster as the Illini and Sergio McClain's triple-double handed U-M its second Big Ten loss in the early conference season.
Michigan continues a three-game Big Ten road swing with a 7 p.m. game Thursday (Jan. 18) at Ohio State. The game will be televised by ESPN.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
