Michigan basketball blasts Northwestern on the road, 68-51
Michigan entered Welsh-Ryan Arena desperately needing a victory against a good Northwestern team Thursday night, and the Wolverines got off to a solid start. Triples from Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin staked them to an early 6-4 lead, and the Wolverines were active on both ends.
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But Michigan would having a hard time scoring for a while. Both teams, in fact, had a tough time filling it up. Michigan made only 3 of its first 13 shots and struggled through much of the first half, but picked it up dramatically in the second half for a huge, 68-51 victory.
Junior center Hunter Dickinson didn’t score his first 2 points until the 13-minute mark, a little left hook in the paint. He heated up, though following that with a dunk to give Michigan a 10-8 lead.
Grad student wing Joey Baker got off to a good start, hitting his first triple in a good sign for Michigan. The Wolverines took an 18-13 lead on a Baker runner and finish at the 18-miinute mark, and they were playing hard. They’d notched 7 offensive rebounds in the first 13 minutes, though had only 4 second chance points to show for it.
Boo Buie, meanwhile, kept Northwestern close with the long ball. He hit three triples early, more than half of the Wildcats’ 16 points.
Back-to-back jumpers by Bufkin and freshman point guard Dug McDaniel on the runner gave Michigan a 22-18 lead and forced a Wildcats timeout. Bufkin had 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists with 4 minutes remaining in the half. The Wolverines led despite Jett Howard going 1-for5, 1-for-4 from long range.
The Wolverines were 8-for-28 from the floor on their way to 9-for-31 in the half and still led 22-20 at 2:00. The Wildcats were 7-of-24 and would finish 9-for-26, down 26-25 at the break. Dickinson led Michigan with 8 points, while Bufkin notched 5 with 10 rebounds.
Northwestern trailed by only 1 with standout Chase Audige going 1-for-9 from the floor.
Second half — Michigan pulls away for a huge road win
Audige hit a jumper to open the scoring and give Northwestern the lead to start the second half. They went up by 3 before Michigan went on a 6-0 run. Back-to-back fast break buckets, including a finish by Bufkin, gave the Wolverines a 3-point lead.
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Baker’s 4-point play made it 36-29 art 16:00, extending a 10-0 run, and Michigan was rolling. Another Baker jumper extend the lead to 38-29, with the Wildcats having missed 8 shots in a row.
Buie ended the drought, but a Dickinson dunk, and one gave Michigan its biggest lead, 41-31. Terrance Williams tripled to extend it to 44-31 at 13:09 and force a Northwestern timeout.
The lead ballooned to 15 and was still 13 at the 10-minute mark. It was 16 when Baker nailed a corner triple at 9:25. Bufkin’s steal and dunk made it 55-37, and the Wolverines just needed to finish.
Jett Howard’s second made shot of the game, a triple from the top, made it 60-41, and it was all but over. Williams continued to play well, including a jumpier that made it 64-47 with 3:00 remaining as part of his 7-point second half.
Bufkin was the hero with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Michigan finished with 21 assists on 24 field goals. Dickinson scored 19 and Baker 14 for the Wolverines. McDaniel finished with 9 assists.
