Michigan basketball hangs on for road win at Rutgers
Michigan basketball dug deep and won a rock fight at Rutgers on Thursday night by a score of 58-45, moving its record to 16-12 (10-7 Big Ten) and kept its sliver of a chance at the NCAA Tournament alive.
The night was defined by a stout defensive effort – arguably Michigan’s best of the season – and a balanced scoring attack from three critical players. Freshman point guard Dug McDaniel led the way with 15 points, 5 steals (career-high), 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin had 14 points, while junior center Hunter Dickinson had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Freshman wing Jett Howard did not play on Thursday, replaced in the starting lineup by graduate wing Joey Baker. Redshirt freshman Will Tschetter started in place of junior forward Terrance Williams II, who came off the bench.
With the win, Michigan is tied for third place in the Big Ten. Its next opponent comes in the form of Wisconsin at home on Sunday in Ann Arbor.
Here is the recap of the night’s events on the road.
First half
Michigan’s offense had a rough go of it in the early stages of the game. Rutgers got out to a quick 4-0 lead before freshman point guard Dug McDaniel got Michigan on the board with a 3-pointer. The Scarlet Knights would respond with a 10-0 run over the next four minutes, taking a 13-3 lead with 14 minutes remaining. The Wolverines would eventually find their stride, going on a 9-0 run thanks to a pair of baskets from Dickinson and a 3-pointer and layup from Bufkin. Rutgers led 13-12 with 9:13 to go.
Paul Mulcahy of Rutgers hit a three at 8:49 to extend the lead back to 4 points at 16-12. The score would remain that way at the under-8 media timeout with 7:46 to go in the half. Rutgers would continue its run with a trio of free throws, taking a 19-12 lead with 6:18 remaining.
From there, Michigan took control of the half. Junior forward Jace Howard hit a 3-pointer, followed by a pair of Bufkin free throws, trimming the deficit to 19-17. Rutgers big man Cliff Omoruyi dunked to make it 21-17 before an 8-0 Michigan run. This gave U-M its first lead of the game at 25-21 with 2:12 to go. The teams would go scoreless over the next two minutes before a jumper from RU’s Caleb McConnell. McDaniel was fouled at the buzzer on a layup attempt and made one of his two free throw attempts. Michigan led 26-23 at the half, going into the locker room on a 14-4 run.
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Second Half
Rutgers got on the board with the first basket of the half, but Michigan responded with the next 5 points on a 3-pointer from Joey Baker and basket from Dickinson. Rutgers responded with a three of its own, but the Wolverines rattled off another 5 points in a row, capped off by a Dickinson 3-pointer. The Wolverines would lead 36-28 with 14:59 remaining. Rutgers came back with a 5-0 run, narrowing the deficit to 36-33 before a Dickinson layup brought the lead back to 5 points at 38-33 with 13:34 to go.
Omoruyo dunked and Michigan’s McDaniel responded with a layup a little under 2 minutes later, helping push the lead to 40-35 with 10:25 to go. Mulcahy was fouled on a layup attempt and hit his free throw, helping Rutgers narrow the lead to 40-38 with 10 minutes left. McDaniel scored on a fast break layup at the 8:39 mark, giving U-M a 42-38 lead. It would stay that way at the under-8 media timeout with 7:24 to go.
Michigan came out of the media timeout with a 4-0 run on baskets from Terrance Williams II and Bufkin, extending the lead to 46-38. Stifling defense and clutch baskets from McDaniel and Bufkin had the Wolverines up 52-42 at the final media timeout (2:08).
For the second straight game, Michigan put its foot on the gas late. The Wolverines used a 9-0 run to take a 57-42 lead with 54 seconds remaining. Michigan would win 58-45.