Michigan comes back from seven-point halftime deficit to beat Nebraska, 85-79

Michigan Wolverines basketball bounced back from a loss at MSU with a 85-79 win over Nebraska. The game wasn’t without drama, with six lead changes, but the Maize and Blue climbed out of the seven-point hole they dug for themselves at halftime.

Michigan is now 11-8 overall and 5-4 in Big Ten play. Nebraska, meanwhile, remains winless in the conference at 0-11 and hasn’t won a game since Dec. 22.

Here is a recap of how the game unfolded.

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First Half

Michigan sophomore center Hunter Dickinson and freshman forward Moussa Diabate were active early, each scoring four points in the first four minutes, but Nebraska caught fire, making four of its first five shots. The Huskers led, 10-9, at the 15:32 mark.

Dickinson committed his second foul with 14:38 to play, and wound up sitting out the remainder of the first half. Not having his presence on the floor hurt the Maize and Blue on both ends, and Nebraska scored 18 points in the paint.

Michigan fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks found senior forward Brandon Johns Jr. in the corner for a three-pointer to take an 18-15 lead, before Nebraska’s Bryce McGowens answered with a triple of his own to tie things back up at 18-18. After a Husker stop, forward Derrick Walker got free for a dunk to take a 20-18 edge, at which point Michigan head man Juwan Howard called timeout. Walker and McGowens combined for 14 of the Huskers’ 20 points at the 11-minute mark.

McGowens scored his 12th point of the night with a two-point jumper at the 7:32 mark that gave Nebraska a 26-23 lead. Soon thereafter, Michigan went on a dry spell that included no points for nearly two minutes and no made field goals for three and a half minutes. The Huskers held a 36-26 advantage with a layup by McGowens with 4:57 to go.

Jones ended the 7-0 Nebraska run with a lay in and a foul, making the free throw to make it 36-29 Huskers at the 4:40 mark. After a Michigan stop, Jones charged in coast to coast for a layup through traffic. That made it 36-31 when the Huskers called timeout with 4:09 until halftime.

Brooks kept the aggressiveness going, pushing in semi-transition and drawing contact on a layup down the left side of the lane. He made both free throws to bring Michigan within three, 36-33, with 2:40 to play.

Then came another Nebraska run. Guard CJ Wilcher was fouled and made two free throws, before Trey McGowens hit a pull-up jumper and forward Lat Mayen made a three, making it seven straight points for the Huskers. Brooks stopped the bleeding with a layup at the 53-second mark that brought the Husker lead to 43-35.

Brooks made a jumper to make it 44-37, which was the score at halftime.

Jones led Michigan at the break with 10 points, while Brooks and Jones each had six. The Maize and Blue shot 48 percent from the field and made just one of their six triple tries, while Nebraska hit 55 percent of its attempts and four of its seven three-pointers.

Second Half

After 15 first-half minutes on the bench, Michigan got Dickinson involved with away to start the second half. He was double-teamed in the post and drew a foul on a hook shot. The seven-footer drained both free throws to cut the Nebraska lead to 44-39.

The Wolverines were off and running from there, scoring eight points in the first 1:37 of the half. Freshman wing Caleb Houstan made a layup to bring Michigan within one, 46-45, at the 18:23 mark. After two offensive rebounds on the next trip down, Houstan was fouled going up in the lane, made both foul shots and gave Michigan a 47-46 lead with 17:37 to play.

The Wolverines tightened up defensively, getting another stop, before Brooks hit a one-handed runner in the middle of the lane to take a 49-46 advantage. Nebraska head man Fred Hoiberg called timeout to regroup, with Michigan roaring out to start the half on a 12-2 run.

The run didn’t end there, though, despite Hoiberg’s best efforts. Dickinson made a jumper at 15:58 to extend the Michigan lead to 51-46. From Hoiberg’s timeout to the under-16 media break at 15:44, Nebraska missed all four of its shot attempts to begin the stanza 1-for-7 from the field.

Dickinson continued to tear it up. He made four consecutive shots to score eight points in a row for Michigan, giving the Maize and Blue a 57-47 edge.

Wilcher finally ended the Michigan run with a three at the 13:16 mark that made it 57-50, Michigan.

Nebraska guard Kobe Webster nailed a pull-up three-pointer right out of the media timeout to bring the Huskers within three points, 58-55, at the 11:41 mark, before Bryce McGowens finished a dunk to make it 58-57 the next trip down. That stretch occurred without Dickinson on the floor, and Howard quickly put him back in the lineup after a Webster and-one that tied the game at 60-60 with 10:23 to go.

Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga scored on two-straight drives to give the Huskers a four-point advantage, 64-60, at 9:22. Bryce McGowens got fouled on a jump shot and drained both free throws, marking a 16-2 Husker run with 8:51 remaining.

Brooks scored four straight for Michigan — including a coast-to-coast take for a layup — which fueled the Wolverines’ offense. However, the defense struggled, allowing Nebraska to make eight of its last nine field goal attempts at the 6:20 mark, when the Huskers led, 70-66.

Tominaga hit a three right out of the timeout, extending the Nebraska lead to 73-66. After committing a foul on Dickinson on Michigan’s next possession, though, Tominaga picked up a technical foul for voicing his displeasure for the call. The Wolverines cashed in on all four free throws, bringing the score to 73-70, Nebraska lead, with under six minutes to play.

Michigan trailed, 75-72, before going on a quick 7-0 run that started with a Dickinson jumper and continued with a Brooks corner three that went around and down. After Houstan notched a steal, he threw it ahead to Jones, who laid it up with ease to give Michigan a 79-75 edge with 2:05 to go — at which point Hoiberg burned his third timeout of the game.

The game was tied at 79-79, when Jones slashed in for a layup go make it 81-79 at the 1:10 mark. Michigan got a stop, then Jones missed a three but freshman guard Kobe Bufkin grabbed the offensive board with 20 seconds to go. Brooks was fouled up top, and made both free throws to make it 83-79.

Nebraska misfired on its last opportunity, before fouling Jones, who nabbed the board. He made both free throws to give Michigan the 85-79 lead.

Dickinson led the way for Michigan with 26 points, while Brooks poured in 20 and Jones added 17. The Wolverines shot 47 percent from the field even with making just two of their 15 three-point attempts.