Michigan
22-12
Purdue (#4)
26-7
B1G Tourney Run Ends with Loss to No. 13 Purdue
3/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2016
» After trailing by as many as 17 early in the second half, the Wolverines fought back to within six only to be outscored 16-5 in the last 7:35 of the contest.
» Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (15), Derrick Walton Jr. (14) and Zak Irvin (11) scored in double figures for the Maize and Blue.
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Site: Indianapolis, Ind. (Bankers Life Fieldhouse)
Event: Big Ten Tournament (Semifinals)
Score: #13 Purdue 76, Michigan 59
Records: U-M (22-12), PUR (26-7)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 13 -- NCAA Selection Show (CBS), 5:30 p.m.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team saw its Big Ten Tournament run come to an end with a 76-59 semifinal loss to the Purdue Boilermakers (No. 13 AP, No. 13 Coaches) on Saturday afternoon (March 12) inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse. After trailing by as many as 17 points early in the second half, the Wolverines cut the margin to as few as six, but Purdue held on with tough defense down the stretch.
Michigan struggled shooting the ball most of the afternoon, finishing the game just 38 percent from the floor and 24 percent from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman led the team in scoring with 15 points, junior guard Derrick Walton Jr.had 14 points, and junior guard Zak Irvin added 11 points.
Purdue dominated the opening minutes in the paint, scoring four straight baskets to take an 8-0 lead at after three minutes of play. Abdur-Rahkman ended the scoring run to get Michigan on the board, blowing by his defender to finish at the rim with his left hand. On the Wolverines' next two possessions, junior forward Mark Donnal added a layup and a three-pointer to make the score 10-7 at the first media timeout.
Michigan continued to close the gap as the half wore on. Junior/sophomore forward Duncan Robinson and sophomore forward Kameron Chatman each added a pair of three-pointers to keep the Wolverines within two, 19-17. A minute later, sophomore guard Aubrey Dawkins pulled Michigan even with a layup off an assist from Chatman.
The teams began to trade buckets, with Irvin sinking a pair of jumpers to keep the Wolverines within one with 7:57 remaining in the half. The Boilermakers put together a 6-0 mini run, however, to take their largest lead since the opening minutes, 32-25. Three minutes later, Purdue extended its lead to eight, 36-28, before Abdur-Rahkman scored the last points of the half with a layup. After both teams went scoreless in the final 2:23, Michigan went to the locker room trailing by eight, 38-30.
The Boilermakers opened the first half with a 9-0 scoring run while shooting 75 percent from the floor to extend their lead to 17 points. Abdur-Rahkman scored the Wolverines' first two baskets of the half with a pair of layups to make it 47-34 at the 16:52 mark. Three minutes later, Purdue pushed its advantage back to 16 with a triple, but Michigan came fighting back.
Walton tripled to cut the deficit to single digits, 58-49 with 8:23 to play. A minute later, Walton came up with a steal and finished a layup with a foul on the other end. The ensuing free throw completed the old-fashion three-point play, getting Michigan within six, 60-54.
It was all Boilermakers the rest of the way, however. The Wolverines were outscored 16-5 in the final 7:35, with Purdue extending its lead to as many as 19 points.
With the loss, U-M will have to wait until the 2016 Selection Show on Sunday evening (March 13) to find out if it will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Coverage of Selection Sunday will begin at 5:30 on CBS, while live streaming of the show can be found on NCAA.com.
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Michigan at the Big Ten Tournament
• Michigan has an 18-18 (14-17*) all-time record at the Big Ten Tournament.
• Michigan is 11-10 in BTT games played in Indianapolis (Bankers Life Fieldhouse).
• The Wolverines have met the Boilermakers in BTT play three times (1998*, 1999, 2016) and despite the 76-59 loss today, Michigan holds the 2-1 advantage.
Game Notes
• The Wolverines split the regular season with the Boilermakers with both games being decided by five points or less, losing the first match to 20/18 Purdue, 70-87, and coming out victorious over 18/16 Purdue, 61-56.
• Michigan, with six triples today, continues to set the new single-season program (326) record for three-pointers in a season. U-M topped the previous mark -- 2013-14 -- of 319 (37 games) with Kameron Chatman's dagger in upset win over Indiana.
• Derrick Walton Jr. is now tied for third-most assists in a single Big Ten Tournament with 22 (5 vs. NU, 12 vs. Indiana, 5 vs. Purdue).
• Derrick Walton Jr., with 22 assists over the course of the tournament, now ranks third all-time, tying with OSU's Brent Darby (2003).
• Dishing out three dimes, Zak Irvin pushed past 100 assists on the season, finishing with 101.
• Duncan Robinson (90) became the fifth Wolverine in history to reach 90-plus three-pointers in a single season.
• With 15 points, Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman scored in double digits for the 12th time this season and for the fourth consecutive game. Abdur-Rahkman has also scored in double digits in four of his five conference tournament games.
• The Wolverines were without the services of the two remaining seniors, Spike Albrecht and Caris LeVert, due to season-ending injuries.
» Previous Results: Quarterfinals | Second Round
Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot
