Mike Smith Hands Out 15 Assists As Michigan Takes Down Maryland, 79-66
The Michigan Wolverines' basketball team took down Maryland this afternoon, 79-66, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, and will next take on the winner of the Ohio State/Purdue showdown tomorrow at 1:00 PM ET.
There were plenty of storylines in today's game, with U-M's Juwan Howard getting ejected and fifth-year senior point guard Mike Smith turning in a historic performance.
The complete recap is below…
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First Half
Freshman center Hunter Dickinson got Michigan's scoring started today with an early lay-in to put his club up 2-0 right off the bat. Maryland quickly took a 7-2 lead, however, starting a hot three-of-three from the field.
The Terrapins' edge was 7-4 at the under-16 timeout, and the Wolverines' offense was just two-of-eight shooting at that point. A triple from junior guard Eric Ayala extended Maryland's margin to 12-6 with 14:05 to go.
Terrapin senior guard Darryl Morsell was fouled on a lay in in transition at 13:13 to make the score 15-6, and head coach Juwan Howard was forced to call a timeout. U-M fifth-year senior big man Austin Davis quickly gave his club a boost with a layup off an offensive rebound at the 11:31 mark, however, to trim the Terps' edge to 17-13.
The board was Michigan's fifth offensive rebound of the game. Maryland's lead was 17-15 at the under-12 media break, and the Maize and Blue had some momentum with a 6-0 run at that point.
U-M was dealt a blow with 8:50 remaining in the half, with freshman center Hunter Dickinson getting tagged with his second foul and his club trailing 21-15. A 6-0 Maryland run stretched its margin to 23-15 at the under-eight timeout, and Michigan was shooting a dismal 35 percent from the field at that point.
The Wolverines continued to chip away though, thanks in large part to senior guard Chaundee Brown. A floater in the lane at 7:05 made the score 26-19, and a corner triple from the 6-5 senior guard at 5:50 made it 31-24.
Things quickly got worse for the Maize and Blue though, with Ayala giving Maryland its biggest lead of the first half (36-24) with a layup with 4:40 to go. Junior forward Brandon Johns then gave his club a much-needed spark with a quick 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 36-29 with 3:37 remaining, and that's where the score stood at the under-four timeout.
Sophomore guard Franz Wagner clawed Michigan to within two (38-36) with a lay in at the 1:34 mark, before two free throws from fifth-year senior guard Mike Smith tied the game with 48 seconds to go.
A driving layup from Wagner put U-M on top 40-38 lead at halftime, with his squad ending the first 20 minutes on an 8-0 (and 16-2) run. Maryland ended the half, meanwhile, with a 2:26 scoring drought.
Second Half
U-M carried its momentum into the second half, stretching the margin to 49-42 with a Smith triple at the 16:20 mark. The Wolverines were on a 25-6 run at that juncture, and their lead was 51-42 at the under-16 timeout.
Michigan continued to pour it on with a triple from Wagner at the top of the key with 10:59 remaining to make it 54-44, signifying a 33-11 U-M run. Michigan's edge was 57-47 at the under-12 break.
An odd sequence occurred with 10:44 remaining when Howard got ejected. There was a shouting match between Howard and Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon, with Morsell also in the middle of it.
Assistant Phil Martelli admitted after the game there was some "bad blood" when the two teams last met, with the veteran coach then filling in for Howard for the rest of the contest.
A quick 5-0 Terrapin run following Howard's ejection cut Michigan's lead to 57-52 with 9:47 remaining, but the Wolverines responded immediately with an 8-0 run of their own. Senior guard Eli Brooks kicked it off with a triple and Wagner ended the run with a three-pointer of his own, forcing Turgeon and Maryland to call a timeout heading into the under-eight timeout.
Wagner had 16 points at that juncture, and U-M's lead was ballooned to 65-52 with 7:21 remaining. The Terps continued to hang out around though, nailing two straight threes to trim Michigan's advantage to 65-58 with 6:40 left in the contest.
Smith was the story of the day for the Wolverines, however, finishing with 18 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers. He poured in a triple at 3:36 to put his squad up 72-61, and that's where things sat at the under-four timeout.
U-M was shooting a hot 51 percent for the game at that juncture. Smith continued his hot play with two free throws on U-M's next possession, before nailing a jumper in the lane to make it 76-61 with 2:27 to go, all but sealing the deal.
His final assist of the day came when he found Brooks on the right wing for a three-pointer to make it 79-64, marking his Big Ten Tournament record 15th assist of the day. U-M ended the game by making five of its final seven shots, sealing the 79-66 triumph.
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