Michigan
6-8,1-2Big Ten
Minnesota
11-3,2-1Big Ten
Late-Game Wolverines Comeback Falls Short Against Gophers
1/4/2024 11:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- With the ball and time winding down in the second half, Dug McDaniel's layup attempt came up short with one second to go and the University of Michigan men's basketball team fell 73-71 to Minnesota on Thursday night (Jan. 4) at Crisler Center.
Leaders and Best
Nimari Burnett was the leading scorer for the Wolverines with 17 points. Olivier Nkamhoua added 16 points while also grabbing eight rebounds. Tarris Reed Jr. recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He also had a career-high five blocks.
The Turning Point
Michigan managed to tie the game at 59 with 6:04 left in the game, but Minnesota went on a 10-3 run to grow its lead and did not trail again for the remainder of the game.
Second Half
Baskets from Nkamhoua, Burnett, and Reed gave Michigan a 44-37 lead at the 17:41 mark. Later in the half, a Nkamhoua three put U-M up by seven points again, but the Wolverines missed their next seven shots while Minnesota went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 47 with 13:12 left.
After not making a field goal for two minutes, Minnesota (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) rebounded with a 7-0 run to take a 56-53 lead with 8:19 on the clock. Michigan (6-8, 1-2 Big Ten) rattled off three straight buckets to tie the game at 59 with six minutes to play. Minnesota made its next five field goals to claim a 69-62 advantage with 3:58 remaining.
A pair of free throws each from Nkamhoua and Burnett brought the Wolverines within three, 69-66, with 3:11 remaining but went scoreless for the next two minutes. A McDaniel steal off and inbounds play set up a three-pointer for Terrance Williams II to pull U-M within 71-69 with 1:03 remaining. Minnesota reclaimed its four-point edge on the ensuing possession, and Nkamhoua was fouled with 26 seconds left in regulation. He cashed in on both of his attempts at the free-throw line and U-M trailed 73-71.
Michigan had the ball underneath its own basket with 10 seconds remaining, and McDaniel drove the right side of the lane but missed a potential game-tying layup as Michigan came up short against to end the game.
First Half
Minnesota opened the contest making six of eight field goals, but Michigan matched the Golden Gophers and the score was tied at 12 apiece six minutes into the game. Michigan took a 17-15 lead with 11:54 to go in the half and held Minnesota scoreless for two minutes.
At the 7:19 mark, Michigan trailed 25-23 with both teams struggling to score -- the teams combined to go scoreless for more than two minutes. The Wolverines went on a short 6-0 run to take a 29-25 lead with six minutes left, while the Gophers' struggles continued and saw its scoring drought extended to 3:19.
Reed scored his 10th point of the first half off a down-low shot with 24 seconds remaining to give Michigan a 37-33 lead over the Golden Gophers heading into halftime.
What's Next
The Wolverines will travel to The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa., to face Penn State on Sunday (Jan. 7). Tipoff is scheduled for noon, and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
Notes
• McDaniel was one point shy of extending his double-digit scoring streak to 14 games, finishing with nine points.
• Williams has made a three-pointer in nine straight games.
• Nkamhoua has scored in double-figures while also grabbing 5+ rebounds in 13 of 14 games this season.
• After shooting 1-for-2 from three tonight, Will Tschetter is 14-for-22 (63.6 percent) from beyond the arc.
