The Michigan Wolverines fought off the rival Ohio State Buckeyes to pick up a 74-62 win, improving to 18-1 overall and 8-1 in Big Ten play. With Trey Burke being honored at halftime with his No. 3 jersey being hung in the rafters, it was only right Michigan came up with a win over the Buckeyes.
Here’s how it all went down.
FIRST HALF
The game certainly started with a bang, as Elliot Cadeau connected with Aday Mara for an alley-oop on the opening possession. Moments later, Nimari Burnett hit a three-pointer
to put Michigan up 5-2.
Ohio State came out aggressive, though, taking a 20-14 lead after John Mobley Jr. knocked down back-to-back three-pointers midway through the half. Yaxel Lendeborg answered with a three-pointer of his own, cutting Ohio State’s lead to 22-20.
With six minutes to go in the half, Lendeborg found Roddy Gayle Jr. for a ferocious dunk to send the crowd into a frenzy and cut the deficit to 24-22. Three minutes later, Lendeborg hit Morez Johnson Jr. for a dunk to take a 28-26 lead.
In the final minute of the half, L.J. Cason scored a layup in traffic to extend Michigan’s lead to 33-30 entering halftime. It was a tight half, as both teams had 16 points in the paint, while the Wolverines recorded an 18-16 rebounding advantage.
HALFTIME: MICHIGAN 33, OHIO STATE 30
SECOND HALF
Mobley’s hot performance continued in the second half, as he knocked down a three-pointer off an offensive rebound to put Ohio State up, 37-34. On the following possession, Christoph Tilly drilled a triple to extend Ohio State’s lead to 40-34.
Coming out of a timeout, the Wolverines quickly turned up their intensity and went on an 11-0 run to regain the lead — Lendeborg hit a layup, which was followed by McKenney finishing a bucket through contact to push the lead to 45-40.
Ohio State put together a 6-0 run of its own to tie the game 50-50, but Michigan responded as Johnson threw down a dunk and Cadeau connected on a three-pointer to give the Wolverines a 55-51 lead with 7:52 remaining.
Just a minute later, Cadeau hit another clutch three-pointer to put Michigan ahead, 60-51. On the ensuing possessions, Mara threw down a two-handed dunk and Lendeborg finished a layup to give the Wolverines their largest lead (66-56).
Michigan put the finishing touches on a 74-62 win, highlighted by Lendeborg throwing down a dunk in the final minute. Lendeborg led the charge with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Mara added 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks.
FINAL SCORE: MICHIGAN 74, OHIO STATE 62
MICHIGAN STAT LEADERS
- F Yaxel Lendeborg: 18 points (team-high), 9 rebounds, 4 assists
- F Morez Johnson Jr: 12 points, 7 rebounds
- G Trey McKenney: 12 points, 4 rebounds
- C Aday Mara: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals
OHIO STATE STAT LEADERS
- G John Mobley Jr: 22 points, 2 assists
- F Christoph Tilly: 17 points, 4 rebounds
- G Bruce Thornton: 10 points, 9 rebounds
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will attempt to extend their winning streak against the Big Ten’s first-place team, as the unbeaten and No. 7 Nebraska Cornhuskers come to Crisler Center. Tip off is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. on Peacock.
