Michigan
10-7,4-2Big Ten
Northwestern
12-5,3-3Big Ten
Michigan Outlasts Northwestern in Back-and-Forth Big Ten Battle
1/15/2023 3:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Watch: Juwan Howard Postgame Press Conference
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In a game with eight lead changes and seven ties, Kobe Bufkin's 20 points led the University of Michigan men's basketball team to an 85-78 victory over Northwestern on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 15) at Crisler Center. Dug McDaniel added a career-best 17 points, while Hunter Dickinson secured his second straight double-double with 10 points and a career-high-tying 15 rebounds.
SUMMARY: Michigan (10-7, 4-2 Big Ten) used hot shooting to establish an early advantage, but eventually fell behind at the break after a 12-2 Northwestern (12-5, 3-3 Big Ten) run. Both teams jockeyed for position throughout the second half before the Wolverines went on a 10-0 run -- with five points coming from Dickinson -- to gain an edge that it would hold the rest of the way to claim an 85-78 win.
SECOND HALF: McDaniel drained a triple to put the Wolverines ahead 52-49 with at 14:16 mark, but Northwestern responded with five unanswered points capped by a pair of Robbie Beran free throws to take a 54-52 lead.
Michigan responded with a 6-0 run, highlighted by a Tarris Reed Jr. dunk, to take a four-point advantage. The Wildcats bounced back again, reclaiming a 59-58 edge, before the Wolverines offense put together a 10-0 run to establish a lead that they would not relinqish.
Michigan struggled through a scoring drought of nearly three minutes and the Wildcats were opportunistic, pulling to within three, but an alley-oop finish by Reed and a pair of free throws from McDaniel put the Wolverines back in control.
The Maize and Blue extended its lead to as many as 11 in the final minutes to secure the victory.
FIRST HALF: Michigan jumped out to a 10-2 lead, making four of its first five field goals, including three-pointers from Howard and Bufkin. McDaniel's second three-pointer of the half extended the U-M lead to 23-12, but the Wildcats answered with a 7-0 run to pull within four, forcing a Michigan timeout with just under eight minutes before the break.
Northwestern continued to put pressure on the Wolverines out of the timeout, making its next three field goals to tie the game at 27. U-M missed five straight field goals, and the Wildcats clawed back to take a 32-29 lead with 3:29 reamining in the half. After falling behind by as many as six, McDaniel poured in a layup and two free throws in the final minute, and Michigan trailed 39-37 at halftime.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Wolverines will take on Maryland on Thursday (Jan. 19) at XFINITY Center in College Park. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN or ESPN2 (to be announced).
Notes
• Kobe Bufkin led the Wolverines with 20 points while shooting nine-for-11 from the field.
• Dug McDaniel scored a career-high 17 points behind three triples. He added five assists and two rebounds.
• Scoring 16 points against Northwestern, Jett Howard has combined for 50 points in his last two games. He has shot a combined and 11-for-19 (57.9 percent) from beyond the arc and added a career-best seven assists.
• Hunter Dickinson (10 points, 15 rebounds) secured his 22nd career double-double to surpass U-M legend Cazzie Russell for 17th all-time at Michigan.
• With Sunday's victory, the Wolverines hold a six-game win streak over the Wildcats and have won 16 of the last 19 matchups. Michigan last setback against Northwestern came Feb. 6, 2018.
