Michigan beats MSU on an emotional night in Ann Arbor

Michigan and Michigan State faced off in a Saturday night game played with heavy hearts in the wake of this week’s tragedy on the MSU campus. Both teams, though, came out motivated after a ceremony that honored the victims of a mass shooting at Michigan State and played hard and clean, U-M pulling out an 84-72 win.

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Dug McDaniel was one of them. The Michigan frosh scored the Wolverines’ first 7 points in 1:20 to give the Wolverines an early 7-2 lead, including a steal and finish and a long corner triple. 

Michigan State, however, battled back to tie it 9 before freshman Jett Howard tripled to end a 5-0 MSU run. 

The two teams went back and forth early. Michigan State took a 15-14 lead into the first TV timeout at 13:50 with both teams shooting well. The pace slowed, but Michigan gave up too many looks in transition early. Both teams had 4 fast break points in the first 8:30, but MSU made 9 of 14 shots, most of them very good looks. They took a 24-18 lead at the 10-minute mark on a Joey Hauser triple … he had 10 early points for the Spartans in 9 minutes. 

Michigan grad student Joey Baker stopped the run with a pump fake triple in transition, while McDaniel brought it to 24-23 with a runner. 

MSU would continue to battle and stay in front. Malik Hall’s jumper made it 28-23, and the Wolverines were having a hard time scoring. Hall’s triple made it 31-25 at 4:30, keeping the Spartans a step ahead. Tyson Walker’s drive and finish made it 33-25 at the final TV timeout of the half at 3:43. 

Sophomore Kobe Bufkin’s triple cut it to five. Junior Hunter Dickinson made it 33-31 with an and-one at 1:31 to cut the deficit to 2, but Hall countered with yet another wide-open triple. 

MSU closed the half up 36-33. McDaniel led the Wolverines with 11 points, but the Spartans shot 53 percent to stay ahead. 

SECOND HALF —  Michigan finally pulls out a win down the stretch

Michigan State scored first on three, Joey Hauser free throws, before Bufkin answered with a triple. The two teams would go back and forth, with Will Tschetter hitting a triple from the top of the key to keep the Wolverines close at 44-41. 

Jett Howard tied the game with a three-point play and a jump shot, but he went down with what appeared to be an ankle injury coming down from his jump shot. He’d leave the game. 

Michigan State went up 4, but Michigan answered. Joey Baker and Tschetter scored on drives to tie it at 50. 

MSU started to pull away again. The Spartans went up three, and Tarris Reed missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Hauser hit another triple, a wide-open look from the top of the key, and Michigan was forced to take a timeout down 63-57. 

The Wolverines answered at 8:00 with a Baker triple to make it a one-possession game. Reed tied it out of the third TV timeout with a putback on an offensive rebound, and-one that made it 63-all. 

Michigan finally got the lead back for the first time since 11:38 of the first half on two Hunter Dickinson free throws despite Jett Howard being on the bench. It was 69-67 at the final TV timeout after a spin and finish from Dickinson, and the Wolverines would get yet another chance to close out a close game.

They’d finally get it done.

Reed’s bucket, and one, fouled Mady Sissoko out at 2:55 and gave Michigan a 3-point lead. Tyson Walker‘s contested triple tied it. Bufkin’s contested three beat the shot clock at 1:50 and it was a three-pointe lead again. Reed blocked a Hauser shot at the other end, and the Wolverines had the ball and the lead.

Dickinson buried a triple at 1:05, and the lead was 6. The Wolverines were on the verge of finally closing out a tight win, especially when Walker missed a triple and McDaniel was fouled with 48.1 seconds remaining. He’d make both, and it was 80-72.

The Wolverines closed it out from the line for the final margin.

McDaniel scored 18, Bufkin added 17, and Dickinson scored 14 for the Wolverines in the win.