Michigan
11-3,3-0Big Ten
USC
9-5,1-2Big Ten
Late Runs Lead Michigan Past USC to Kick Off West Coast Road Trip
1/4/2025 11:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team used a pair of 10-0 runs late in the second half to defeat USC 85-74 on Saturday night (Jan. 4) at the Galen Center.
Leaders and Best
Danny Wolf led all players with a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double along with seven assists and six blocks. Nimari Burnett and Tre Donaldson each scored 16 points, while Roddy Gayle Jr. had 12 points and Vladislav Goldin added 11 points.
The Turning Point
After trading baskets for the majority of the second half, Goldin's pair of free throws with three minutes to go kicked off a 12-3 Michigan run to finish out the game. Four of U-M's five starters contributed to the run on 6-for-6 shooting from the field.
Second Half
Michigan (11-3, 3-0 Big Ten) went on a 13-0 run to start off the half, taking its largest lead of the game (15 points) at 16:03. USC (9-5, 1-2 Big Ten) countered with seven consecutive points and, two minutes later, went on a second 7-0 run, cutting the lead to four, 61-57, with 11:32 to go.
A four-minute Wolverine scoring drought led to USC taking a 65-63 lead at the 7:33 mark. The Trojans' 11 fouls with five minutes left in regulation put Michigan in the double-bonus early and spurred a 10-0 U-M run to take an eight-point lead, 73-65. After three consecutive USC baskets, the Wolverines put the game away with another 10-0 spurt to put them up 83-71.
U-M went 0-for-8 from behind the arc in the second half but outscored the Trojans 32-12 in the paint. For the game, Michigan shot 52.7 percent from behind the three-point line (29-of-55) while posting 38 points in the paint.
First Half
Michigan opened the game on 5-for-5 three-point shooting, taking a 15-6 lead four minutes into the game. USC fought back, taking advantage of three U-M turnovers to even up the game and take its first lead of the game, 20-19, with 9:35 on the clock.
The Wolverines and Trojans traded points over the last 10 minutes of the half, resulting in 10 lead changes before halftime. Despite USC finishing the half shooting 4-for-5 from the field, a 6-0 Michigan run gave it a 42-38 advantage going into the break. The final points of the half came on Donaldson's career-best fourth three-point basket without a miss.
Michigan shot 62.5 percent (10-for-16) from three compared to USC's 16.7 percent (1-for-6). U-M collected 10 threes and only three two-point field goals in the first half.
What's Next
Michigan will travel across town to take on No. 15-ranked UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday (Jan. 7). Opening tip is set for 7 p.m. PST, and the game will be streamed live on Peacock.
Notes
• Tonight's game marked the start of Michigan's first trip to the West Coast to battle USC and UCLA as conference opponents.
• Michigan has made 10-plus three-pointers in three straight games and eight times this season.
• Donaldson's 16 points extended his team leading 11th double-figure scoring game.
• With his 16 points, Burnett posted his third straight double-figure contest. He has finished in double digits in four of his last five games, with six total.
• Wolf had a season-high 21 points. His six blocks are the most by a Michigan player since 2008.
• Goldin scored in double figures for the eighth consecutive game.
