Instant Recap: Michigan basketball blows lead, falls 67-65 to Seton Hall

Michigan basketball’s first big test of the season ended with a disappointing loss. The Wolverines led by 11 points in the second half, but fell 67-65 to Seton Hall on their home floor.

The pace was quick early. Five of Seton Hall’s first seven shots came from long range and they made two, one from Myles Cale with a hand in his face. U-M countered with four early points from Hunter Dickinson, while point guard DeVante’ Jones pushed the pace early with his work on the defensive glass. 

RELATED: Progress at the guard position

RELATED: Juwan Howard signs extension

Jones scored four points and had five rebounds in the first six minutes while the two teams traded buckets. 

The Pirates’ length proved difficult for the Wolverines. Michigan had three good looks erased at the rim and others altered by 7-2 Ike Obiagu and others. They struggled from the outside, too, cold from the perimeter.

Eli Brooks ended a five-minute scoring drought with a free throw line jump shot at 8:00. He put the Wolverines up 19-18 with another a few feet further back, a calming influence after Seton Hall took an 18-15 lead. 

Seton Hall continued its success behind the arc, but U-M always had an answer. The Wolverines rallied from a three-point deficit to take a 27-24 lead behind four points each from Dickinson and Brooks. 

The Wolverines also got a spark off the bench from freshman guard Kobe Bufkin, whose four points at the rim helped spark a mini run. Michigan went up 31-26, its biggest lead, at 37 seconds when Dickinson dunked on a pass from Brooks. 

The half ended with a Caleb Houstan miss from the corner, a wide-open triple attempt and his third miss from long range. He struggled in his 19 minutes, going 0-for-6 from the floor with one assist and no rebounds. 

The Pirates blocked six shots and held the Wolverines to 0-for-7 shooting from long range and 38.9 percent in the first half. 

Dickinson and Brooks notched 10 points apiece, Jones and Bufkin four each to lead U-M. Jones grabbed nine rebounds in the first stanza. 

Second Half

Michigan scored the first four points of the second half, two inside on a pick and roll from Jones to Dickinson and two on Jones free throws to open a 35-28 lead. They pushed it to 10 on a Brandon Johns finish, forcing a seton Hall timeout. 

The Pirates stepped it up. They scored the next five before Dickinson ended the mini-run inside at 15:45. 

U-M responded with a run of their own. It was 45-34 at 14:00 before Seton Hall ripped off six straight. Johns followed his own shot with a tip-in to end the run, making it 47-40 at the 11:49 mark. 

Brooks hit Michigan’s first triple at 11:13 to put the Wolverines up by eight. U-M’s second three-pointer, from Terrance Williams at 8:45, make it 55-46. 

Every time U-M scored, though, the Pirates seemed to answer. U-M had a tough time staying in front of Seton Hall’s guards, leading to some good looks. Jared Rhoden’s triple made it 57-52 at 6:35; his drive and finish cut it to three, and it was game on. 

Seton Hall missed a wide-open triple at 5:20 that would have tied it. Bryce Aiken knotted it up at 57 with a three-pointer at 4:30. 

Jones finally hit a triple of his own from the corner to put U-M back up three, a huge lift. Seton Hall responded with three of their own before Brooks ‘ lefty drive and finish made it 62-60. Aiken tied it again with a jumper, and he gave Seton Hall a one-point lead with a free throw at 1:15.

Dickinson and Aiken traded pairs of free throws, and the Wolverines were down a point when head coach Juwan Howard called timeout at 29.4. Brooks missed a floater, and Cale made one of two free throws to make it 66-64. Howard called another timeout to set up one last play.

Terrance Williams was fouled on a jumper with .8 seconds remaining. He missed the first free throw, made the second and Seton Hall iced it with a free throw at the other end with .2 seconds remaining.

Dickinson finished with 18 points, Brooks 17 for the Wolverines.