Michigan used its size to its advantage early, getting a number of second-chance opportunities at Nebraska. The Wolverines just couldn’t hit shots. U-M made only two of its first 10 shots and one of five triples in falling behind early, dropping a xxx road in Lincoln.
The Wolverines fell behind 5-0 and 9-5 in the early going. Junior guard Eli Brooks helped keep it close, making a pair of triples from the corner, the second cutting an 11-10 lead to one. Freshman Franz Wagner struggled early, missing his first four shots and turning it over twice, but he gave U-M its first lead on a bucket in transition at 12:45.
Sophomore Adrien Nunez gave U-M a boost with a triple a minute later, making his first look to make it 15-13.
The two teams continued to trade buckets. The Wolverines got a spark from sophomore Brandon Johns Jr., who attacked the glass for four straight points to put Michigan on top 23-20.
Nebraska’s Kevin Cross provided the offense early for the Cornhuskers with a couple of triples and eight early points, but U-M’s defense struggled to keep the ‘Huskers from the rim. The Cornhuskers went back door four times for buckets.
Still, U-M took its biggest lead, 35-30, on a pair of free throws by sophomore point guard David DeJulius, and it was 38-30 when Brooks hit his third triple. Teske’s tip-in made it 40-33 Michigan, but Cam Mack (13 points at the half) went coast to coast at the buzzer to make it a 40-35 game.
Brooks finished the half with nine, Johns eight and Wagner six.
SECOND HALF
Nebraska quickly cut the Michigan lead to two before Brooks answered with a triple. Wagner’s steal and finish, and-one pushed the lead back to 48-41 after Teske scored inside.
The tempo started to pick up. Nebraska scored nine of the next 11 to tie it at 50, most of their points coming at the rim. U-M turned it over twice in a row, and Cross hit a jumper over redshirt junior Austin Davis to give Nebraska its first lead since 20-19, 52-50.
Wagner finally connected on a triple from the top to put Michigan back up, 53-52. Davis’ putback made it 55-52, and the Wolverines went up by six before Wagner went to the bench at 10:17 with his third foul on a charge. Mack quickly nailed a triple to cut the deficit to three, but Johns answered with his first triple and finished with a dunk, missing the and-one to give U-M its biggest lead, 63-55.
It was 67-55 at 7:05 after Teske finished inside, and the Wolverines were in good shape … even better when Johns followed up with a put-back to push the lead to 14 and force a Nebraska timeout.
U-M pushed the lead to 15, but Nebraska mounted a run. They cut it to 71-60 before yet another Johns offensive rebound and score extended the lead. Nebraska cut it to nine but would get no closer — the Wolverines closed it out from the line to win by 11.
Brooks notched 20 points and nine rebounds, Wagner finished with 18 points and eight rebounds and Johns finished with 16 and 7 to improve Michigan to 3-6 in Big Ten play.
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