Michigan Basketball uses strong second half to beat Oregon, 81-71

Michigan Basketball staved off a slow start and used a strong second half to defeat Oregon, 81-71. Here’s the recap, highlights and stats:

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What is the story about?

The Michigan Wolverines staved off a slow start and eventually secured an 81-71 win over the Oregon Ducks to move to 16-1 overall and 6-1 in Big Ten play. Michigan was led by Elliot Cadeau (17 points), Nimari Burnett (15) and Aday Mara (12).

Here’s how it all went down.

First Half

Michigan’s offense struggled to find a rhythm in the early stages before Cadeau scored a bucket to break the ice. That was followed up by Burnett and Will Tschetter both knocking down three-pointers to give the Wolverines a 17-9 lead.

Oregon quickly responded, though, going on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 23-21. Burnett continued his hot start by drilling a three-pointer and throwing down a dunk to extend the lead to 28-21 midway through the first half.

The Wolverines opened up an 11-point lead, but Oregon stormed back once again. The Ducks played with much more energy and intensity and eventually took a 41-40 lead into halftime after Wei Lin drilled a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

Michigan was far too sloppy, committing nine turnovers and allowing 12 points off turnovers in the first half. Burnett led Michigan with 10 points at halftime.

Halftime: Michigan 40, Oregon 41

Second Half

The Wolverines finally seemed to wake up in the beginning of the second half, as Mara completely took control. He recorded seven points, one assist and one block within the first six minutes of the half to build a 56-49 lead.

Mara found Burnett on a backdoor cut for a dunk to regain the lead, then he scored seven straight points, including a left-handed reverse dunk. Later in the half, Mara connected with Morez Johnson Jr. for a dunk to extend the lead to 65-55.

Johnson was in foul trouble early on so he was sidelined for most of the first half, but he started to make a significant impact after halftime — throwing down a put-back dunk to help the Wolverines take a 68-56 lead with 7:57 left in the game.

Oregon had an opportunity to cut the deficit to five points with about five minutes to go before Yaxel Lendeborg swatted away a layup. That led to Tschetter connecting on a three-pointer to push the lead back to double digits.

Michigan certainly wasn’t perfect but found a way to survive, finishing the West Coast trip with a pair of victories. The Wolverines out-rebounded Oregon (36-30) while racking up more bench points (22-6), blocks (7-4) and assists (15-11).