Michigan Wolverines Basketball Instant Recap: Matthews Wills U-M Past Wiscy
Ethan Happ single-handedly got Wisconsin off the a great start, but Michigan adjusted in a huge, 61-52 win.
Charles Matthews' play down the stretch, meanwhile, was the difference for U-M.
Happ scored eight points in the first 10 minutes with little resistance from U-M junior center Jon Teske, who seemed to play not to foul. He'd score 14 in the first half, but only four in the second.
Sophomore shooting guard Jordan Poole finally got Michigan on the board at 17:15 with a triple in transition, but the Badgers' D'Mitrik Trice’s triple made it 13-5 at 14:40, and it started to look like a lot of past Michigan – Wisconsin games.
Poole hit his second triple at 13:30 to make it 13-9 and keep the Wolverines close, and the Wolverines started to double Happ a bit. They kept chipping away, and they finally made a run to take the lead. Sophomore Isaiah Livers’ tripled, and Teske scored twice inside to make it 18-17 Wolverines at 8:45.
The two teams continued to trade buckets. Teske tied it at 25 after forcing Happ into his second foul on one end, stepping back and tripling at 1:41.
Teske’s block and Poole’s coast to coast finish made it 27-25, but the Badgers tied it with a tip-in at the buzzer.
The Wolverines were right in it despite 3-of-16 shooting from freshman Ignas Brazdeikis (1-for-8 shooting), junior Zavier Simpson and redshirt sophomore Matthews. Poole led U-M with eight, Teske had seven and Livers five.
Nobody from Wisconsin other than Happ had more than five.
SECOND HALF
Happ picked up his third foul at 18:30 and went to the bench, and the Wolverines had an opportunity. Neither team scored in the first 2:27 before the Badgers were called for a flagrant on a hook and hold. Teske made two free throws, and Matthews finally scored on a jumper from the corner on the inbound to give U-M its biggest lead, 31-27.
The Wolverines couldn't get separation with Happ on the bench. Both Poole and Brazdeikis missed wide open triples, and it remained a four-point game, 33-29, at the 15:08 mark.
Teske’s three-point play made it five, but the badgers’ Brad Davison made his second crazy shot against Matthews in three trips to keep it within three. Davison, though, picked up his third foul a at 14:00 and went to the bench.
Matthews then went to work. His turnaround jumper followed a drive and finish and kept U-M up five, 42-37, but Trice answered with a three over Teske to cut it back to two.
Matthews answeread again to push it back to four, and Wisconsin called timeout to get Happ and Davison back on the floor at 9:13.
U-M missed a number of chances to extend the lead. Davison then hit a tough triple at 7:30 to cut it to 44-43 before Matthews responded again with a short jumper of his own.
Happ drove and finished but missed an and-one attempt; Teske converted his on the other end to make it 49-45 with 5:57 remaining.
Brazdeikis, though, left Nate Reuvers along for a three that cut it to one again.
Matthews drove and finished to make it a three-point game again, setting up a fantastic finish.
Simpson's drive and finish pushed it back to three; Matthews hit a jumper at 1:30 from the wing to make it 55-50, and the Crisler Arena crowd came to its feet.
Matthews all but iced it at 23.6 seconds with a drive and short jumper as the shot clock expired. U-M held and Livers iced it at the line with a pair of free throws and an alley-oop finish from Poole.
Matthews finished with 18 points to lead U-M. Teske's double double, 17 points and 12 rebounds, Poole added 10 and Livers nine.
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