Michigan
4-3,0-0Big Ten
North Carolina
5-2,0-0ACC
Michigan Stumbles at North Carolina in Big Ten/ACC Challenge
12/1/2021 11:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Moussa Diabate earned his first collegiate start and scored a team-best 13 points.
» Eli Brooks added 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.
» Caleb Houstan grabbed seven boards to lead the Wolverines.
Site: Chapel Hill, N.C. (Roy Williams Court at the Dean E. Smith Center)
Event: Big Ten/ACC Challenge
Score: North Carolina 72. #24 Michigan 51
Records: U-M (4-3), UNC (5-2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Dec. 4 -- vs. San Diego State (Crisler Center), 1 p.m. (TV: CBS)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The No. 24-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team fell 72-51 to North Carolina in a Big Tenn/ACC Challenge matchup Wednesday night (Dec. 1) at Roy Williams Court at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Freshman Moussa Diabate earned his first collegiate start and went 5-for-5 from the field in the first half to score 11 of his team-leading 13 points, while Eli Brooks scored 11 points and added three assists, six rebounds and two steals. Freshman Caleb Houstan rounded out the top scorers for U-M with eight points, and had a team-high seven rebounds.
Off the bench, freshman Frankie Collins added four points and four rebounds, and Brandon Johns Jr. had five points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Diabate showed out early, scoring seven of the Wolverines' first 12 points as Michigan (4-3) trailed 13-12 with 11:09 left in the first half. He continued to pace the U-M offense, and the Wolverines took a 21-18 advantage into the media timeout with 5:45 remaining in the half.
Michigan's offense faltered in the final three minutes of the first half, and UNC (5-2) went on a 7-0 run and took a 29-27 lead into the locker room at the halftime break.
Diabate led Michigan with 11 points over the first 20 minutes, while Houstan added eight points and five rebounds and Brooks had six points, three rebounds and three assists.
Michigan could not put together offensive runs, and Hunter Dickinson was forced to sit following two quick fouls to start the second half and the Wolverines struggled to score. U-M looked to get something going after a Johns take to the rim and a three-pointer, but North Carolina continued to push the pace of the game and took a 51-38 advantage with 9:35 left in the contest.
The Tar Heels went on a 20-5 run to put the game out of reach, and Michigan was unable to generate any sustained offense in the closing minutes.
U-M returns to Crisler Center to host San Diego State on Saturday (Dec. 4) at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on CBS.
