Michigan
12-4, 2-1
Purdue
14-2, 2-1
U-M Has Win Streak Halted at No. 20 Purdue
1/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2016
» U-M led by four with 5:33 left in the first half, before Purdue went on a 16-5 run to close the opening frame.
» The Boilermakers outscored the Wolverines, who were without Caris LeVert for the second straight game, 42-18 in the paint and 26-9 off the bench.
• Box Score | USA Today Photos 
Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Mackey Arena)
Score: #20 Purdue 87, Michigan 70
Records: U-M (12-4, 2-1 Big Ten), PUR (14-2, 2-1 Big Ten)
Attendance: 13,063
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Jan. 12-- vs. Maryland (Crisler Center), 9 p.m. [ TV: ESPN ]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team suffered its first setback of the Big Ten campaign, falling on the road, 87-70, to the Purdue Boilermakers (No. 20 AP, No. 18 USA Today) on Thursday night (Jan. 7) inside Mackey Arena. After a back-and-forth opening 15 minutes, Purdue took the lead for good with 3:24 remaining in the first half. Michigan made it tough for much of the second half, getting within as few as five, but the Boilermakers pulled away late.
Purdue's hard-nosed defense forced the Wolverines into tough looks all night, as Michigan finished just 23-of-61 (37.7 percent) from the floor and 11-of-27 from downtown (40.7 percent). The Boilermakers shot 30-of-54 from the floor (55.6 percent) and 9-of-18 from three-point range (50 percent). Purdue found much of its success inside, finishing with a 42-18 scoring advantage in the paint.
The Wolverines had three players in double figures. Sophomore guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored a career-best 25 points 10-of-16 shooting, and junior guard Derrick Walton Jr. added 12. Junior/sophomore Duncan Robinson was Michigan's final double-digit scorer, finishing with 10 points on the night.
Junior guard Zak Irvin scored the first points of the night with a mid-range jumper, but the Boilermakers responded with a quick 7-0 run. The Wolverines responded with back-to-back threes courtesy of Abdur-Rahkman and Robinson to regain the lead, 10-7, at the 12:37 mark.
Junior guard Andrew Dakich helped extend Michigan's advantage to 15-11, beating his defender with a shifty crossover to find junior forward Mark Donnal open at the top of the key for a triple. Robinson added his second long ball three minutes later, giving the Wolverines a 23-19 lead with 5:33 to play in the first half.
Purdue found its rhythm in the last five minutes, exploding to a 12-0 run in the span of 1:55 to make it 31-23. The run was highlighted by a pair of buckets inside by A.J. Hammons and a three-pointer from P.J. Thompson. Redshirt freshman D.J. Wilson hit a three, and Robinson added a pair of free throws to cut into the deficit before the break, giving Purdue a 35-28 advantage at the break.
An old-fashioned three-point play from Hammons pushed the Boilermakers' lead to 41-30 early the second half, but Michigan began to claw its way back, sparked by strong shooting from Abdur-Rahkman. Donnal made his second triple, and Abdur-Rahkman hit a floater over the long reach of Hammons to cut the score to 50-45 with 13 minutes to play.
The Boilermakers' paint play on both ends of the floor proved too much to overcome, however. Johnny Hill drove straight to the bucket and threw down a monstrous dunk to put Purdue back up nine, 66-57, but Irvin answered with a trio of free throws after getting fouled on a three-point attempt to make the score 66-60 at the 5:07 mark. A minute later, the Boilermakers broke out in transition and Dakota Mathias hit a corner triple that sparked Purdue's second 12-0 scoring run of the game, pushing the margin to 78-60 with 2:33 remaining to seal a 17-point victory.
The Maize and Blue returns home Tuesday night (Jan. 12) for a showdown with the third-ranked Maryland Terrapins inside Crisler Center. Opening tip is slated for 9 pm, and coverage can be found on ESPN. [ Tickets ]
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Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot
