INSTANT RECAP: Michigan 75, Purdue 66
Michigan started slowly in a 75-66 win over Purdue, turning it over twice and missing two shorties in the lane in the first three minutes, but the three-pointer helped them overcome once again. Derrick Walton Jr. and Nik Stauskas (in transition) both hit triples to spark the Wolverines to an early, 8-2 lead before the first TV timeout.
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Sophomore guard Caris LeVert grabbed four rebounds in the first four minutes in working the glass, and he continued to play well after the first break. He grabbed a steal and hit a triple that made it 11-4.
The Boilermakers tried to go inside early with A.J. Hammons, but the seven-footer converted only once in three tries. Guard Ronnie Johnson provided some early offense for Purdue with two floaters in the lane, but the Wolverines continued to create distance when Glenn Robinson III hit U-M's fourth triple at 13 minutes to make it 14-6. Two Stauskas free throws made it a 10-point game only 7.5 minutes in.
LeVert remained aggressive on the boards with six at the 10:39 mark, but he struggled in the lane. He got there but couldn't finish, making one of his first four bunnies. Michigan cooled off, too, missing its next four shots.
Purdue cut it to 18-15 at the 9:15 mark with seven straight points. They scored four more when U-M turned it over on three straight possessions and took a 19-18 lead before Walton answered with a driving lay-up.
Three points from Morgan, a dunk in transition and one of two free throws, gave the Wolverines a two-point lead at 6:32. U-M then countered with a zone to compensate for its inability to stay in front of Purdue's guards, but it only lasted one possession.
The Boilermakers scrapped and won many of the 50-50 battles for loose balls to stay in it. It was 27-25 at 4:39 before Robinson scored on a short jumper off the dribble at the 4:08 mark. Walton then scored coast to coast in transition to make it a six-point game heading into the final TV timeout.
Stauskas continued to get to the rim. Jon Horford finished his miss with a putback dunk before Stauskas' acrobatic lay-up pushed the lead back to eight with 1:45 left in the half. It finished at eight when Walton went coast to coast again and finished with a lay-up at the buzzer to make it 37-29 at the break.
Stauskas led all scorers with 11 points, while Walton added nine. Morgan, Robinson and LeVert had five each while LeVert also added nine big rebounds. The Wolverines shot 54.2 percent from the floor.
SECOND HALF
Michigan grabbed a 10-point lead on a Morgan jumper on the pick an roll, but two careless turnovers led to four points on the other end. U-M got it back on a Walton to Morgan dunk and a Robinson finish in transition.
The Wolverines then started to take control. LeVert finished a three-point play, Stauskas hit a jumper, LeVert took a steal and finished and Horford scored with a pretty post move to make it 54-39 with 13:50 remaining.
Michigan continued to score, but Purdue's Kendall Stephens kept the Boilermakers in the game with two long triples. It was 60-50 at the 10-minute mark following a finish inside by Hammons. LeVert scored four inside for Michigan and secured a double double, standing at 14 points and 10 rebounds, at the 9:30 mark after a defensive carom.
Purdue wasn't going quietly. Hammons' dunk made it 60-52 at 8:47, but freshman Zak Irvin responded with a triple, his first three points, to push the lead back to 11 at the eight-minute marek.
Al Albrecht triple on a good look from Stauskas gave U-M a comfortable, 68-54 lead with 7:30 remaining. Walton all but iced it with a triple from the top at 4:25 that made it 71-54.
U-M missed some free throws down the stretch, including two front ends of one-and-ones, but had a big enough lead to hold on to the victory.
Stauskas led Michigan scorers with 16 points. Walton and LeVert added 14 each, Morgan 11 and Robinson eight for the Wolverines, now 8-0 in Big Ten play.