Michigan
19-1; 8-1
Indiana
12-8; 3-6
Wolverines Jump Out to Big Early Lead, Roll to Victory Over Hoosiers
1/25/2019 9:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Michigan used a 17-0 run to start the game and rolled onto a 69-46 victory at Indiana.
» Charles Matthews collected his fifth career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
» Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis scored 20 points to lead the Wolverines in scoring.
» Jon Teske recorded his ninth straight game with at least two blocks and added 11 points.
Site: Bloomington, Ind. (Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall)
Score: #5 Michigan 69, Indiana 46
Records: U-M (19-1, 8-1 Big Ten), Indiana (12-8, 3-6 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Jan. 29 -- vs. Ohio State (Crisler Center), 9 p.m. (TV: ESPN2)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Using a 17-0 run in the first five minutes of the contest, the University of Michigan men's basketball team (No. 5 AP/No. 6 Coaches Poll) rolled to a 69-46 victory over Indiana on Friday night (Jan. 25) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The Wolverine defense locked in early, giving up just 18 points in the first half and keeping the Hoosiers to 20 percent shooting (5-of-25) from the field in the first 20 minutes of action.
Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis led the offensive effort, recording the sixth 20-point game of his career with 20 on the night, while senior Charles Matthews notched his fifth career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Junior Zavier Simpson dished out five assists, marking the 15th time this season he has had five or more in a game and added 12 points and six rebounds. Junior Jon Teske also recorded a double-digit scoring effort, netting 11 points. The junior center notched his 12th game with at least two blocks and his ninth straight contest with two blocks or more.
The Wolverines wasted no time getting their offense going, as it quickly jumped out to a 12-0 lead, forcing Indiana to burn an early timeout with 15:57 left in the first half. The timeout did little to break Michigan's momentum, as it came out to score another five points before Indiana got on the board thanks to a pair of made free throws from Zach McRoberts.
Michigan allowed just four Hoosier points over the first 12 minutes of the game. The offense continued to push the pace of the game as Brazdeikis drove down the left side of the lane and put up a reverse layup in the midst of an Indiana scoring drought to extend the U-M lead to 28-12 with 8:08 remaining in the first half.
The Hoosiers were unable to gain any ground on the Wolverines, as each time Indiana found ways to score, Michigan often answered on its next trip down the floor, including a Jordan Poole three-pointer with under a minute left in the opening frame. Michigan maintained a double-digit lead for 16:14 of the first half, and headed into the locker room with a 15-point advantage, 33-18.
IU came out of the locker room and started the second half much more aggressively, scoring eight quick points to cut the Michigan lead to 10 and caused Michigan head coach John Beilein to call a timeout to reset his team with 17:23 to play.
Indiana worked its way to cut the lead to single digits, 38-29, following a Rob Phinesee three-pointer with 16:47 to go. Brazdeikis knocked down his third three-pointer of the game on the Wolverines' next trip down the court, and Matthews hit two free throws to push the U-M lead back to 14 points, 43-29, with just over 15 minutes remaining in the contest.
A Brazdeikis fast-break layup off a lead pass from Simpson allowed Michigan to extend its lead to 21 points, 62-42, as Indiana called a timeout with 5:21 remaining in the contest. The Michigan defense did not allow Indiana to creep back into the contest and the Wolverines finished off its 23-point victory.
The Wolverines will be back in action Tuesday night (Jan.29) when they welcome rival Ohio State to Crisler Center. Tipoff is slated for 9 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
