Michigan
Rutgers
Michigan Picks Up B1G Win Over Rutgers at Madison Square Garden
2/1/2020 7:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Michigan earned a 69-63 neutral-site win over Rutgers at Madison Square Garden.
» Brandon Johns Jr. led the Wolverines with a career-high 20 points.
» Zavier Simpson tied Gary Grant with his 14th career game with 10 assists or more.
» Michigan made nine three-pointers.
» Michigan will host Ohio State on Tuesday (Feb. 4) at Crisler Center.
Site: New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden)
Score: Michigan 69, #25 Rutgers 63
Records: U-M (13-8, 4-6 B1G), Rutgers (16-6, 7-4 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Feb. 4 -- vs. Ohio State (Crisler Center), 7 p.m. (TV: ESPN2)
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Behind a career-high 20 points from sophomore forward Brandon Johns Jr., the University of Michigan men's basketball team earned a 69-63 victory over Rutgers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday evening (Feb. 1) in the finale of Big Ten Super Saturday. Earlier in the day, the Michigan wrestling team defeated Rutgers at MSG.
Johns' 20-point contest was the first of his career and included four three-pointers and seven rebounds.
In addition to Johns, U-M had two other players reach double digits in Jon Teske (13 points) and Franz Wagner (11).
Senior guard Zavier Simpson tied Gary Grant with his 14th career game with 10 assists or more, handing out 10 on the day and added nine points and four rebounds.
Three straight triples, including back-to-back makes from Johns put Michgan on a 9-0 scoring run, going up 16-12 heading into the second media timeout. The Wolverine defense stepped up during the run to put Rutgers on a scoring drought of more than five minutes before two free throws pulled the Scarlet Knights within two.
Following the free throws, Michigan continued to control the pace of the game as it capped off a 17-2 run with a big post move from Austin Davis to take a 24-14 advantage over Rutgers with just over seven minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
Rutgers worked its way back within one with less than a minute to play, but a last-second layup from Johns off a missed free throw gave the Wolverines a 37-34 lead at halftime.
Michigan shot 52.2 percent from the field (12-for-23), including 54.5 percent from beyond the arc (6-for-11) with Johns scoring 15 points in the first 20 minutes. U-M also dished out 10 assists and pulled down 19 rebounds.
After a small lull in the scoring to start the half, Michigan hit five of its seven shots including two three-pointers to take a 51-42 advantage with 11:30 remaining in the contest.
Brooks knocked down his third three-pointer of the game with 5:43 remaining before the Wolverines forced a Scarlet Knights to burn a timeout with U-M holding a 63-54 lead.
Rutgers came within five points, 63-58, following a Michigan scoring drought of 4:30.
Free throws were clutch down the stretch as Michigan sealed the win.
U-M will return to action Tuesday (Feb. 4) when it hosts Ohio State at Crisler Center in the first of two home games next week. The Wolverines and Buckeyes will tip off at 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
