Michigan
14-1,9-1Big Ten
Wisconsin
15-7,9-6Big Ten
Michigan Pulls Off Second-Half Comeback for Road Win at No. 21 Wisconsin
2/14/2021 4:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» The Wolverines closed the game on an 8-0 run to take down Wisconsin.
» Hunter Dickinson secured his fourth career double-double.
» Isaiah Livers had his ninth 20-point performance.
» Mike Smith dished out six assists.
Site: Madison, Wis. (Kohl Center)
Score: #3 Michigan 67, #21 Wisconsin 59
Records: U-M (14-1, 9-1 B1G), Wisconsin (15-7, 9-6 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Feb. 18 -- Rutgers (Crisler Center), 9 p.m. (TV: FS1)
MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 3-ranked Michigan men's basketball team used an 8-0 run to close out the final two minutes of the game to complete a 67-59 comeback victory at No. 21 Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 14) at the Kohl Center.
Michigan returned to action for the first time since Jan. 22 after going through a two-week department-wide activities due to COVID-19.
Senior Isaiah Livers scored a game-high 20 points to mark his ninth career 20-point game. He made four three-pointers, including a clutch second-chance triple with 2:48 remaining in the contest. Freshman Hunter Dickinson had his fourth career double-double, tying a career-best 15 rebounds and adding 11 points and added a career-best five blocks to his stat line.
Sophomore Franz Wagner also put together a double-digit performance with 14 points, while Mike Smith dished out a team-best six assists and Eli Brooks added nine points, four rebounds and two steal.
Michigan scored 15 second-chance points, 10 points off Wisconsin turnovers and added 30 points in the paint.
The Wolverines hit two-straight three-pointers to take and early 8-5 advantage over the Badgers before Wisconsin took advantage of a short U-M scoring drought to go up, 15-12, heading into the under-12-minute media timeout in the first half. Livers found his stroke from downtown, making a set of triples to tie the game at 20 before Wisconsin took a full timeout with a three-point lead, 23-20, with 8:28 left in the half.
The Badgers put together a 12-1 run to extend their lead to double digits and close out the half with a 39-27 advantage. Livers led the Wolverines with 13 first-half points and Dickinson added five, four rebounds and three blocks.
Michigan opened up the second half on an 8-1 run to close the gap to 43-27 on a Brooks fastbreak layup with 16:33 remaining. The Wolverines continued to mount a comeback, pulling within three on a pair of free throws from Dickinson before a drive from Livers and a second set of free throws from Dickinson gave U-M its first lead since early in the first half of action.
The Wolverines used a big offensive board from Dickinson and kick out to Livers, who drained his 20th point and fourth three-pointer of the game, to go up, 59-57, and force Wisconsin to use its full timeout with 2:37 remaining in the contest. Michigan did not trail again as the Wolverines went on an 8-0 run to finish the contest and kept Wisconsin 0-for-7 from the field over the final 2:21 to lock up the road win.
U-M will be back in action Thursday (Feb. 18), when it welcomes Rutgers to Crisler Center. The game is scheduled for a 9 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on FS1.
