Michigan
18-10,9-8Big Ten
Wisconsin
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Simpson Goes for 32 Points, but Wolverines Fall to Wisconsin
2/27/2020 10:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Michigan fell, 81-74, to Wisconsin on Thursday night at Crisler Center.
» Zavier Simpson scored a career-best 32 points with six assists and five rebounds.
» Franz Wagner added 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
» Michigan will travel to Ohio State on Sunday (March 1) for a showdown with the Buckeyes.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Wisconsin 81, #19 Michigan 74
Records: Michigan (18-9, 9-7 B1G), Wisconsin (17-10, 10-6 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 1 -- at No. 23 Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 4 p.m. (TV: CBS)
• Watch: Coach Howard Postgame Press Conference
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite a career-high 32 points from senior guard Zavier Simpson and a late-game comeback attempt, the No. 19-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team fell, 81-74, to Wisconsin on Thursday night (Feb. 27) at Crisler Center.
Simpson shot 14-for-22 (63.3 percent), while Franz Wagner chipped in 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting, while grabbing seven rebounds.
U-M scored 44 points in the paint and added seven fast-break points.
Wisconsin jumped out to an early 8-2 lead over the first three minutes, but Simpson heated up to score nine points and his layup at the 14:11 mark started a 6-0 run spurt to bring the Wolverines within four, 19-15, with 13:05 remaining in the first half. A Wagner layup with just over nine minutes to play cut the deficit to two, 24-22, but the Badgers went on to score 10 unanswered points over the next three minutes to increase their lead to 34-22 with just under six minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
U-M finished the first half the way it began, with a basket from Simpson, but trailed, 43-33, at halftime. Simpson scored a team-best 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting over the first 20 minutes.
The Wolverine offense came out firing to start the second half, opening on an 8-0 run that pulled Michigan within two, 43-41, on a Wagner layup to force a Wisconsin timeout. The Badgers responded with a 16-4 run over the next 4:45 to extend its lead to 59-45 with 12:09 remaining in the second half.
U-M came within four points on two occasions over the closing minutes of the contest, but Wisconsin free throws down the stretch sealed its win.
Michigan will open the month of March on the road as it travels to Columbus, Ohio, for a Sunday (March 1) contest against the Buckeyes. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on CBS.
