Michigan
20-10, 10-7
Wisconsin
19-10, 11-5
Wolverines Stumble in Road Finale at Wisconsin
2/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2016
» The game marked U-M's final regular-season road contest.
» Zak Irvin (14), Derrick Walton Jr. (10), Ricky Doyle (10) and Duncan Robinson (10) each scored in double digits.
Site: Madison, Wis. (Kohl Center)
Score: Wisconsin 68, Michigan 57
Records: U-M (20-10, 10-7 Big Ten), WIS (19-10, 11-5 Big Ten)
Attendance: 17,287
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 5 -- vs. Iowa (Crisler Center), 8 p.m. [ TV: BTN ]
MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team lost a close game to the Wisconsin Badgers, 68-57, on Sunday night (Feb. 28) at the Kohl Center. The game featured 13 lead changes with the Wolverines holding on to a one-point lead at the half, but the Badgers went ahead with 12:58 remaining, and Michigan never regained the lead.
Junior guard Zak Irvin led the Maize and Blue with 14 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Derrick Walton Jr., junior/sophomore guard Duncan Robinson and sophomore forward Ricky Doyle added 10 points each. The Wolverines shot 24-of-50 (48 percent) from the field and outscored Wisconsin 28-26 in the paint, but the home team held a 33-20 edge on the glass.
Irvin led the offense to a fast start, scoring Michigan's first seven points to give the Wolverines a 7-2 advantage at the 16:46 mark. Robinson then stretched the lead to seven with a right-handed finish at the rim. The Badgers then scored six straight points, but Robinson buried a jumper from the free throw line to stop the mini run. Robinson came up with a steal on the next possession and found Walton for a three to make it 14-8 with 14: 19 remaining.
The Badgers rattled off another mini run, this time scoring five straight points, but the Wolverines answered. Junior forward Mark Donnal battled inside for an easy deuce, and then Walton made a smooth step-back jumper to tie it at 22-22 with 5:51 left in the half. Four minutes later, Robinson hit his first three-pointer, putting Michigan ahead 30-27.
The Wolverines took a 30-29 edge into the intermission after shooting 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) from the floor. Irvin led all scorers at the half with 10 points.
Much like the first half, the second half was tightly contested. Wisconsin opened with another 5-0 mini run to take a 34-30 lead in the first two minutes, but the Wolverines ended the run by turning up the pressure on the defensive end. Doyle converted a layup after Walton came up with a strip underneath the basket. After Abdur-Rahkman tipped in his own miss to tie the score, Irvin came up with a steal and took it the length of the floor for a transition layup to make it 36-34 at the 14:50 mark.
Michigan took the lead, 40-39 after Walton found Doyle for a slam-dunk alley-oop, but Wisconsin began to take control with a 12-3 scoring run that made the score 52-43 with six minutes to play. Irvin made a nice move to score underneath off the dribble, cutting the deficit to 52-45, but the Badgers struck back with a pair of three-pointers to make the margin double digits.
The Wolverines will close out the conference slate against the Iowa Hawkeyes (No. 8 AP, No. 8 Coaches) on Saturday (March 5). The game will feature a pregame ceremony for senior guards Spike Albrecht and Caris LeVert as part of U-M's senior day. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. with coverage airing on BTN.
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Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot
