Michigan
17-15,11-9Big Ten
Rutgers
19-13,10-10Big Ten
Michigan Falls to Rutgers in Big Ten Tournament After Second-Half Struggles
3/9/2023 3:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO, Ill. -- After a turbulent second half, the No. 8-seeded University of Michigan men's basketball team fell 62-50 to No. 9-seeded Rutgers on Thursday (March 9) in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center.
Leaders and Best
Hunter Dickinson led the Wolverines with 24 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while Kobe Bufkin added nine points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Turning Point
Midway through the second half, Rutgers (19-13) went on a 12-0 run that lasted more than five minutes to bring its one-point lead to 13 with five minutes remaining. The run was the deciding blow for Michigan (17-15), as U-M only managed to get as close as 11 points down the stretch.
Second Half
Rutgers opened the second half with a 9-1 run to build a five-point lead, taking advantage of Michigan's 0-for-4 start from the field. The Scarlet Knights increased their lead as high as six, but Dickinson knocked down a three from the corner to cut the margin in half with 15 minutes to play.
Dickinson's triple was Michigan's only field goal over the first nine minutes of the second half, but the Wolverines still managed to pull within one, 40-39, after sinking eight free throws.
Rutgers countered with a 12-0 run, leaving the Maize and Blue trailing 52-39 with just under six minutes remaining. The deficit was too much for the Wolverines to overcome, and despite eight points in the final minute, U-M fell to Rutgers.
First Half
The Wolverines jumped out to an early 9-2 lead behind stellar defense, forcing the Scarlet Knights to miss their first seven shots from the field.
After several minutes of back-and-forth play, Rutgers took advantage of a long U-M scoring drought to pull within two, but Dickinson answered with an and-one hook shot. Terrance Williams II followed up with a midrange jumper that gave the Wolverines an 18-11 lead and forced a Rutgers timeout with 7:19 before the break.
Rutgers shot just 17.4 percent (4-for-23) to start the game, but made six of its next eight over the next six minutes to briefly take a 25-23 lead. Dickinson tied the game with a hook shot, and Joey Baker buried a triple just seconds before the buzzer to give the Wolverines a 28-25 advantage at halftime.
What's Next
Michigan will await its NCAA Tournament fate now await during the tournament selection show on Sunday (March 12) at 6 p.m. on CBS.
Notes
• Dickinson scored 20-plus points for the 14th time this season and the fourth game in a row.
• With 13 first-half points, Dickinson scored nearly half of U-M's first half total of 28.
• Jett Howard finished with six points behind a pair of three-pointers, his 23rd game with multiple threes this season.
• Dug McDaniel finished with three assists, his 21st game of the season with three assists ot more and leads the team with 3.5 assists per game.
