The Michigan Wolverines snuck past the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, 71-67. Aday Mara scored 17 points to help the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes, setting up a date with either Illinois or Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.
Here’s how it all went down.
FIRST HALF
The Wolverines jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead courtesy of two baskets by Morez Johnson Jr. and a three-pointer by Nimari Burnett.
Michigan also got instant production from the bench, as Trey McKenney hit a three-pointer just seconds after checking into the game while Roddy Gayle Jr. drained a pair of free throws. Through the first five minutes, the Wolverines were dominating, 15-5.
But Ohio State finally broke its cold streak and went on a 6-0 run to cut into the deficit. Michigan quickly answered, as McKenney scored five straight points.
Out of the under-12 timeout, the Wolverines went a little cold from the floor by going 0-for-4. But the defense continued to be on display, tallying two steals and a block to finally get back into a rhythm with a Burnett dunk in transition. From there, Elliot Cadeau made a first three-pointer, Yaxel Lendeborg posterized Christoph Tilly, and Aday Mara got on the board as well with an inside-post move to give Michigan a 31-21 lead.
However, the tide quickly changed. John Mobley Jr. made a three for the Buckeyes, Brandon Noel got into the paint, and Bruce Thornton then scored four straight. At the end of the 8-2 run, Michigan’s lead was cut to four.
McKenney kept up his strong half with another three-pointer for 10 points, and Lendeborg threw an outlet pass to Gayle who threw a lob to Mara. But it was Ohio State who got the last laugh, as Amare Bynum hit a three and Thornton drained a floater over Mara as time expired to cut Michigan’s lead to four at halftime.
The Wolverines had a relatively strong half, shooting 50 percent from the field and from beyond the arc, and racking up seven steals. However, Ohio State out-rebounded Michigan, 19-14, and made four more threes in the final seven minutes compared to the Wolverines.
HALFTIME: MICHIGAN 39, OHIO STATE 35
SECOND HALF
The Buckeyes caught Michigan sleeping coming out of halftime. Despite Mara’s alley-oop layup and Johnson’s three-pointer, Ohio State rattled off nine points on the ensuing four possessions while forcing three Michigan turnovers, tying the game at 44.
The Buckeyes went cold out of the first media timeout — a five-minute scoring drought compounded by five team fouls. Michigan capitalized with a 7-0 run, fueled by four points from Cadeau.
Ohio State redshirt freshman Gabe Cupps snapped the drought with five straight points, and Thornton added to his game-high 18 with his second three-pointer of the contest to trim Michigan’s lead to three, 55-52.
Mara answered with five straight points to push the advantage back to seven, but a string of five consecutive fouls on Michigan handed Ohio State six points off free-throws. Devin Royal then knocked down a three-pointer to give the Buckeyes their first lead of the game at the 5:40 mark.
The Wolverines have been in this position before, however, and would not go down without a fight. After trading free throws over the next minute, Johnson drew a goaltending call to give Michigan the lead back, 64-62. After Thornton knocked down a pair of free throws, the Buckeyes went more than four minutes without a field goal in crunch time and even missed three layups in the final two minutes. Mara provided some breathing room with an inside layup, and Cadeau and Lendeborg each converted from the free throw line to give Michigan a four-point lead with a minute to go.
The Buckeyes had a few more chances, but their field goal drought eclipsed five minutes and the Wolverines snuck away with the win, 71-67.
It was not Michigan’s best game of the season, finishing the contest shooting 45 percent from the field and 29 percent from three. However, its defense came through in the final moments, and it earned the right to play on Saturday afternoon.
FINAL SCORE: MICHIGAN 71, OHIO STATE 67
MICHIGAN STAT LEADERS
- C Aday Mara: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks
- G Elliot Cadeau: 15 points, 7 assists, 3 steals
- G Trey McKenney: 12 points, 4 rebounds
- F Morez Johnson Jr: 11 points, 6 rebounds
OHIO STATE STAT LEADERS
- G Bruce Thornton: 44 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
- F Devin Royal: 13 points, 11 rebounds
- C Christoph Tilly: 8 points, 5 rebounds
- G John Mobley Jr.: 12 points
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will take on the winner of Illinois and Wisconsin — which tips off at 2:45 p.m. ET on Friday — in the semifinals on Saturday in Chicago (1 p.m. ET on CBS).
