Michigan survives Oregon comeback attempt, wins 80-76

Michigan got off to a slow start once again in an 80-76 win over Oregon, missing three bunnies at the rim before scoring. The Ducks, meanwhile, got Jackson Shelstad going with 5 early points to keep them ahead in the early going, rallied in the second half, but could never get over the hump in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines made only 2 of their first 7 shots despite getting good looks before finally heating up. Forward Will Tschetter sparked a comeback with a triple on his first shot and point guard Tre Donaldson did some work getting to the rim, including a nasty crossover in splitting defenders at the top of the key. U-M led 13-9 at one point and was getting several good looks on offense. 

Oregon kept it close, but back-to-back triples from Nimari Burnett and Tschetter, the second for both, made it 21-16 and forced an Oregon timeout at 21-16 with both Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf off the floor. Wolf’s triple on a filthy move made it 26-16, and the crowd was fully invested. The Wolverines were averaging an outstanding 1.3 points per possession at that point. 

The Ducks got a boost from Nate Bittle, who hit a jumper and two triples to keep them close. His second cut it to 30-24 and was Oregon’s fifth triple in 10 attempts. Wolf followed with his second, an NBA range effort, to keep the Wolverines comfortably ahead at 4:30, but Shelstad heated up to get the Ducks right back in it. It as 37-33 at 2:35 after U-M had seemed to grab control. It was 37-36 after Keeshawn Barthelemy tripled. 

A strong offensive rebound putback from Burnett and a Goldin slam made it 41-36 at the break, a good finish for the Wolverines. Wolf and Tschetter led Michigan with 10 points each and U-M finished 47 percent from the floor in the half. 

SECOND HALF — Michigan holds off Oregon surge

Michigan got plenty of room to move offensively and continue to score, but Barthelemy kept Oregon close with a pair of triples each time the lead got to 8. Donaldson’s three pushed it back to 51-43, and his dish to Goldin for a lefty finish gave Michigan a double-digit lead again at 16:25. 

Tschetter continued his good work, scoring on a second-chance bucket at the rim, and the lead ballooned to as many as 13. It was 12 when Donaldson tripled from long range at 13:05 to make it 62-50. Another Tschetter putback gave U-M its biggest lead (14)n after a stop on the other end, and it seemed like they were in good shape.

But the Wolverines started turning it over again. It was five in eight possessions at one point, and Oregon continued to chip away. Still, the score was 67-56 at 10:59 after three Tschetter free throws. 

The Ducks continued to hang around. A TJ Bamba triple cut the biggest lead in half, making it 70-63, which is where it stood at the third TV timeout (7:56). Bittle’s triple from the top made it 70-66, and it was game on. 

Donaldson finally stopped the run with a drive and finish, but Roddy Gayle Jr. couldn’t stop turning the ball over — three times in less than two minutes — and it was 72-68 after an Oregon transition bucket. Michigan was struggling to get good shots, and the Ducks took advantage. They made only 1 of their last eight shots at 3:39 but kept chipping away due to U-M’s empty possessions. 

It was 74-72 when Goldin missed a putback dunk, giving Oregon a chance to tie or take the lead. But a turnover led to a Goldin bucket at the other end, pushing the lead back to four at 1:57. He missed the and-one free throw, but the Ducks missed the front end of a one-and-one after a Gayle foul on the rebound.

Oregon cut it to two at 49.1 after yet another empty Michigan possession. Wolf made two second chance free throws at 24.8 to push the lead back to four, and Gayle made two with 8.3 seconds remaining after two Barthelemy free throws to seal it.

Tschetter led Michigan with 17 points, Wolf notched 15 with 12 rebounds, and Goldin had 15 for U-M, which improved to 9-2 in Big Ten play, a half game behind first place Purdue.