Michigan
Michigan State
Simpson, Returning Livers Lead U-M to Big Win over No. 16 MSU
2/8/2020 4:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» The Wolverines trailed just once as it took down No. 16-ranked Michigan State, 77-68, on Saturday (Feb. 8) at Crisler Center.
» Zavier Simpson led the Wolverines with 16 points which included a season-high four three-pointers.
» Isaiah Livers returned and scored 14 points and grabbed four rebounds.
» Michigan lit it up from beyond the arc, knocking down 11 treys in the game.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 77, #16 Michigan State 68
Records: U-M (14-9, 5-7 B1G), MSU (16-8, 8-5 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Feb. 12 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 8 p.m. CST (TV: BTN)
• Watch: Howard Postgame Press Conference | Postgame Report
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Zavier Simpson scored 16 points to lead the Wolverines in scoring and a returning Isaiah Livers chipped in 14 as the University of Michigan men's basketball team led nearly wire-to-wire in a 77-68 victory over No. 16-ranked Michigan State on Saturday (Feb. 8) at Crisler Center.
Simpson also dished out a game-high eight assists, and Livers added four rebounds in his first game back from injury. Eli Brooks contributed 11 points, and David DeJulius also broke into double figures with 10.
Brooks led the Wolverines on the boards with nine. Senior Jon Teske pulled down eight of his own, while Franz Wagner tracked down seven, all on the defensive end.
Defensively, Michigan played stout all afternoon. The Wolverines conceded no three-pointers in the first half and just six total in the game. Michigan also blocked six shots.
Simpson connected for a trio of triples in the opening half to provide early momentum. Livers also connected from deep on a transition opportunity early in the game, announcing his return after missing nine out of the last 10 contests due to injury.
Michigan built its lead to 10 points, 25-15, at the five-minute mark of the first half when Simpson dished to Livers in transition.
Efficient free-throw shooting in the closing minutes helped Michigan State close the gap, but the Wolverines went into the break leading, 29-23. Simpson led the way with nine points, shooting 3-of-3 from distance. Defensively, Michigan forced seven turnovers and held the Spartans to 25 percent shooting from the field.
In the second half, MSU came out firing and twice cut the Wolverines' lead to a single point. Each time, Brooks answered delivering a pair of quick-release triples from opposite corners of the floor, with the second coming at the 14:07 mark to provide a 42-38 cushion. Brooks then ensured full momentum fo the Wolverines one minute later when he floated a high ally-oop to Teske with the big man flushing it home for a 46-40 lead. The Crisler Center crowd roared and forced an MSU timeout, but the 6-0 spurt did not end there. Austin Davis finished a beautiful catch in traffic with a nifty reverse layup for an eight-point lead with 12:09 to play.
With 7:16 left to play, MSU was charged with a flagrant foul, and Teske hit one of the two free throws to increase the Michigan advantage to 10, 56-46.
Effective free-throw shooting down the stretch allowed Michigan to pull away while adding an important win.
The Wolverines will hit the road for their next contest, heading to Evanston, Illinois, to take on Northwestern on Wednesday (Feb. 12). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
