Michigan
10-0,5-0Big Ten
Minnesota
10-3,3-3Big Ten
Second-Half Scoring Surge Sends U-M Soaring Past No. 16 Minnesota
1/6/2021 11:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Michigan is 10-0 on the season and 5-0 in the Big Ten.
» Hunter Dickinson scored a career-high 28 points, his third career 20-point performance.
» Brandon Johns Jr. was big off the bench with four rebounds and two blocks.
» The Wolverines shot 62.1 percent in the second half.
» U-M held Minnesota to just 32.4 percent shooting in the contest.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #10 Michigan 82, #16 Minnesota 57
Records: U-M (10-0, 5-0 B1G), Minnesota (10-3, 3-3 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Jan. 12 -- vs. #8 Wisconsin (Crisler Center), 7 p.m. (TV: ESPN)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Freshman Hunter Dickinson scored a career-high 28 points, 14 in each half, and a second-half surge of offense helped the No. 10-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team to run past Minnesota, 82-57, on Wednesday night (Jan. 6) inside Crisler Center.
Michigan (10-0, 5-0 Big Ten) shot 62.1 percent (18-for-29) in the second half and put together a 20-1 run to earn its win against the Golden Gophers (10-3, 3-3 Big Ten), who shot just 31.6 percent (12-for-28) in the second half and 32.4 percent (22-for-68) for the game.
Dickinson continued to be a standout for the Wolverines, notching his 10th straight double-digit scoring effort and his third 20-point performance. He was 12-for-15 shooting (80 percent) and pulled down eight rebounds.
Senior Isaiah Livers scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out three assists and added two steals to his stat line, while Franz Wagner had 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Junior Brandon Johns Jr. provided a spark off the bench, scoring seven points, grabbing four rebounds and blocking two shots in 14 minutes on the hardwood.
Both teams struggled offensively early in the first half as just 10 points were scored between the two squads heading into the first media break. Coming out of the under-16 media timeout, Michigan went on a 7-0 run to take an 11-5 lead over the Golden Gophers with 14:21 left in the first half.
A second scoring drought ensued for both teams before Livers made two straight baskets, including a steal that led to a fast break dunk and a Minnesota timeout with the Wolverines leading, 21-15, with 6:47 left in the opening stanza.
Coming out of the break, Michigan extended its run to 13-2, including six straight points over a two-minute span and stalling the Minnesota offense for more than 2:30 to take a 30-18 advantage into the final media break of the half.
The Wolverines suffered a scoring drought of their own to close out the half as Minnesota cut the Michigan lead to six points, 32-26. Dickinson shot 7-for-9 from the field in the first 20 minutes , scoring a team-best 14 points, while Livers scored nine points and had four rebounds and two steals.
U-M came out of the halftime break and went on an 8-0 run to start the second half to take a 40-26 advantage. The Michigan offense found its groove in the second half, hitting five of six shots and extending its lead to 51-32 on a Dickinson basket off a pass from Livers with 13:08 remaining.
The second half was a one of Wolverine runs as they put together a 20-1 run over the span of 5:11 capped off with a pair of Dickinson, and U-M extended its lead to 71-35 with 7:35 remaining in the game.
The series of Michigan runs would be too much for Minnesota to overcome, and the Wolverines remained perfect on the season.
U-M will be back in action Tuesday (Jan. 12) when it takes on No. 8-ranked Wisconsin at Crisler Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Michigan's contest against Penn State, originally scheduled for Saturday (Jan. 9), has been postponed due to positive COVID-19 results within the Nittany Lions program.
