No. 3 Michigan Basketball Wins Instant Classic At No. 4 Ohio State, 92-87
Michigan Wolverines basketball improved to 16-1 overall and 10-1 in the Big Ten with a 92-87 win over Ohio State, marking the first U-M win in Columbus since 2014.
Here is a recap of how the game unfolded.
RELATED: VIDEOS: Juwan Howard, Michigan Players React To Ohio State Win
First Half
Ohio State took an early lead behind a jumper by sophomore forward E.J. Liddell and a lay-in by senior forward Kyle Young to make it 4-0. Michigan senior guard Eli Brooks nailed a right wing three to cut the lead to 4-3.
Back and forth the two teams went, with the score being 9-9 at the under-16 media timeout after an and-one layup by Michigan senior guard Isaiah Livers to knot up the score. Michigan was 3-of-6 from the floor with two turnovers, while the Buckeyes started 4-of-9 from the field.
Liddell nailed a three from the left wing right out of the timeout, making it 12-9 Ohio State
Washington began to take over a bit, making a layup to make it 14-12 at the 12:47 mark and later a deep, contest three at 11:18 to give the Buckeyes a 19-14 edge. He had 10 points on 4-of-5 from the field at that point and 2-of-2 from long range to lead all scorers.
Out of the under-12 media timeout, Michigan senior guard Chaundee Brown hit a right-wing three to cut Michigan within two, 19-17. Another Brown three off an assist from freshman center Hunter Dickinson gave the Wolverines their first lead of the game, 20-19 at the 8:59 mark.
A Dickinson dunk, with the assist coming from a nice pick-and-roll feed by fifth-year senior guard Mike Smith, gave Michigan a 22-19 edge, forcing a timeout from OSU head coach Chris Holtmann at 8:25. Michigan's run of 8-0 was its best of the game.
Both teams' offenses continued playing at a high level. After a Smith three at 5:02, the Wolverines held a 34-28 lead, before the Buckeyes came charging back to make it 34-33. The teams went back and forth for a few possessions, and the score was 40-40 at the final media timeout of the half with 1:56 to play. Livers hit two threes over that stretch.
Dickinson was called for a charge while making a post move with under a minute to play. Head coach Juwan Howard was not pleased with the call, but the Wolverines got the stop on the other end. Brooks sliced his way through the Ohio State defense and finished across the lane for a layup at the buzzer, giving Michigan a 45-43 lead at halftime.
At the break, Michigan was shooting 10-of-13 from long range, and Ohio State had hit 6-of-13 from deep. Both teams were over 1.3 points per possession, with the Wolverines connecting on 57 percent of their overall shots and the Buckeyes making 53 of theirs.
Second Half
Liddell hit a three off a pick-and-pop from the left wing to give Ohio State a lead. But Dickinson responded with an and-one on the other end, with Liddell committing the foul. Michigan led 47-46 after the sequence.
The score was 54-52, Michigan leading, at the under-16 media timeout. A Brooks triple in transition from the corner gave the Wolverines a 54-50 edge before Washington drove left and made his bunny to cut it within two.
Ohio State went on a 7-0 run in the middle of the second half to give itself a 62-59 lead. Washington had nine points in the first nine minutes after the break. A second-chance possession, capped off by Livers drawing a foul on a dunk attempt, almost stopped the bleeding, but he missed both free throws (uncharacteristically). Fifth-year senior Austin Davis finally stopped the run by hitting a hook shot in deep with 10:30 to play. Ohio State led, 62-61, at that point.
Michigan had gone cold from long range to start the second half, making just one of its first seven from deep.
Brown added a spark after entering the game near the halfway point of the half. He hit a mid-range jumper and then finished on a layup in transition to tie the game at 65-65 with just over nine minutes to play.
Michigan sophomore wing Franz Wagner finished a layup in transition to give Michigan a 67-65 lead and make it a 6-0 scoring run. The Wolverines had forced five second-half turnovers at that point (and had turned it over six times in the half themselves).
On a possession where Michigan got three offensive rebounds, Brown capped it off with a layup to give the Wolverines a 71-69 lead. On the next possession after an Ohio State miss, Dickinson drew a foul and made both free throws to make it 73-69.
Washington nailed a three with 4:36 to go, followed by a Dickinson dunk on the other end with three Buckeyes draped on him. Michigan led, 75-72, at the under-four timeout.
Ohio State redshirt junior guard Justice Sueing got nonchalant with a behind-the-back pass, but nobody was looking ... except Livers, who took it and finished at the bucket and a foul. He knocked down the free throw and gave Michigan an 80-74 lead with two and a half to play — tying its largest lead of the game.
Livers found Brooks under the bucket for a point-blank shot to make it 84-76 and give Michigan its largest lead of the game. On the next possession, Sueing nailed a wide open corner three to cut it to 84-79. Holtmann and the Buckeyes called timeout after the made basket.
Ohio State began fouling the Wolverines and made it interesting, but Michigan finished it off with two Brooks free throws to win 92-87 in an instant classic.
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