Michigan
Towson
Jones' Perfect Night Guides Michigan Past Towson
12/28/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Michigan got balanced offensive production as three other Wolverines finished with at least 18 points. Lavell Blanchard (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS), who grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, poured in 22 points on 11-of-17 shooting, followed by Jamal Crawford (Renton, Wash./Rainier Beach HS) and Kevin Gaines (Las Vegas, Nev./Clark HS) with 18 points each. Gaines also grabbed seven boards and dished out four assists, while Crawford doled out seven helpers.
After an even start to the game, which saw the Wolverines climb out to a 14-13 lead 7:20 into the contest, the teams traded runs. First Michigan rattled off a 14-2 streak over a 3:00 span, including a 10-0 run at the end, highlighted by back-to-back Jones three-pointers. Jones ended the half a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, all three-pointers, for nine points.
But Towson battled back with a 8-0 streak of its own to draw within five points of the Wolverines, 28-23. Following a 30-second timeout, Michigan found its shooting touch as Crawford drained a pair of three-pointers from the right wing on consecutive Michigan possessions as the Wolverines countered with a 9-2 run to re-grab control of the game, 37-25.
The Wolverines extended the lead out to 16 points, 44-27, off a pair of Crawford free throws and ended the half with the same advantage, 51-35, as Gaines, who hit for a game-high 14 first-half points on 5-of-7 shooting, scored Michigan's final five points of the half with pair of free throws and a three-pointer from the right wing with 0:07 left in the half.
After Michigan pushed its lead out to 18 points at 57-39, Towson countered with a 10-0 run to get back into the game, 57-49. But Blanchard righted things for the Wolverines with a 12-foot jumper at 14:30. On Towson's ensuing possession, Josh Asselin (Caro, Mich./Caro HS), who netted nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, blocked a Tiger shot to start Michigan's break the other way. Gaines was fouled cutting to the hoop but hit both free throws to give the Wolverines a 61-49 lead. Moments later Crawford connected on back-to-back layups to start a 16-2 Michigan run to extend the lead to 24 points, 79-55. Crawford, who scored 16 points on the night, had eight of the Wolverines' points in the run.
The Tigers made a final run, cutting a 21-point Wolverine lead down to 14, 89-75, with just over 3:00 remaining in the game. However, following a Chris Young (Plymouth, Mich./Catholic Central HS) steal, Crawford coverted a layup to push the lead back to 16 points. Towson continued to play hard but could never cut the Michigan lead under 12 points as the Wolverines closed the game by hitting five of their final six free throws to seal the win.
The Wolverines will close out their non-conference schedule and open the new year by hosting Colorado State on Sunday (Jan. 2) at 2 p.m.
N O T E S
Michigan scored a season-high 98 points. It marks the third time the Wolverines have scored at least 90 points this season (93 vs. Western Michigan; 97 vs. Duke). By contrast, Michigan never scored 90 points last season and only reached 90 on four occasions during the 1997-98 season. Michigan had only eclipsed the 90-point mark six times from 1994-95 until this season.
Leon Jones' perfect shooting night (8-for-8 from the field, 4-of-4 from the line) helped the Wolverines to season-best shooting percentages of .617 (37-of-60) from the floor and .800 (16-of-20) from the foul stripe. Michigan also had a season-high 37 field goals made.
The Wolverines had two players score 20 points in the same game (Leon Jones 23, LaVell Blanchard 22) for the third time this season -- Jones (22) and Jamal Crawford (21) vs. Oakland; Crawford (27) and Kevin Gaines (23) vs. Duke.
Lavell Blanchard finished as one of Michigan top three scorers for the fourth consecutive game and the eighth contest this season.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
