Michigan
Purdue
Boilermakers End U-M Win Streak in Big Ten Opener
1/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team had its four-game winning streak come to an end on Wednesday (Jan. 3), falling 80-60 at Purdue in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams. The Boilermakers had hot shooting throughout the contest, hitting on half their shots (29-58), including 6-10 from three-point land. The hostile environment led the young Wolverine squad to commit 20 turnovers for the game, and shoot 41.7 percent from the floor.
Avery Queen (Moreno Valley, Calif./Redemption Christian) had a great night in his Big Ten opener as he set career highs with 17 points and six rebounds and added five assists. Josh Asselin (Caro, Mich./Caro HS) added 11 points and nine rebounds, while LaVell Blanchard (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) also had 11 points for the Wolverines.
Michigan (6-6, 0-1 Big Ten) came out sluggishly in the first half as Purdue (9-3, 1-0 Big Ten) started out to a 19-10 lead. Blanchard charged the Wolverines' offense with a layup following a Michigan timeout. Bernard Robinson Jr. (Washington, D.C./New Hampton Prep) then intercepted a Boilermaker pass and dunked home another two. Queen took an outlet off a Purdue miss and pulled up from about 12 feet out off a three-on-two fast break. Asselin finished off the 8-2 run with a nice assist to Leon Jones (Battle Creek, Mich./Winchendon Prep) to make it a 21-18 game.
Blanchard scored the 600th point of his career on a deuce at the 7:04 mark of the first half. Josh Moore (Newark, N.J./St. Thomas More Prep) showed his strong inside game with a baby hook off the glass to put an end to a 5-0 run by Purdue. The Wolverines then went on a 5-0 run of their own after Robinson Jr. found Queen in the corner for a three to bring Michigan within three at 28-25. Moore added his third field goal of the first half, utilizing a spin move inside the lane, but then committed his fourth foul to sit him on the bench for the remaining part of the half.
Purdue took a 10-point lead into halftime, with the score 43-33. The Boilermakers were helped by going 11-16 from the charity stripe, while Michigan only made one free throw in the first 20 minutes of play. Behind the arc, the Wolverines went 1-6, while Purdue was 4-6, including a triple right before halftime.
Purdue came out of the locker room with some hot shooting, but Michigan provided some of its own highlights and stayed aggressive. Blanchard had a monster tip dunk off a Queen miss to quiet the crowd. Queen then pulled down a rebound on the next Boilermaker possession and hit his second pull-up jumper from near the top of the key, making it a 47-39 game.
Queen continued his sharp shooting, hitting his second three to stop a Purdue 9-0 run, but the next six minutes of the game would be controlled by the Boilermakers. Over that time, Purdue captured a 25-point lead, going on a 20-4 run. Queen again ended the run with another trey from beyond the arc with 7:26 left in regulation.
Michigan did not let up and took some momentum after Asselin layed in a deuce and connected on the free throw for a three-point play. A few minutes later (4:57), Gavin Groninger (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield HS) broke away from the pack for an uncontested dunk, bringing the score to 72-54 and forcing Purdue to take a timeout.
Both teams contributed to a bit of some sloppy play as time winded down, but Michigan could not add another run to close in on the Boilermakers. Asselin reached double digits off an offensive rebound in the final few minutes, and Queen ended the game with an uncontested layup, but the Purdue sharpshooters and Kenith Lowe's game-high 19 points combined for a tough environment for the young Wolverines.
The Wolverines will return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 9, when they host Indiana at 7 p.m. in Crisler Arena. ESPN will televise the contest.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
