Michigan
Ohio State
Road Troubles Continue for Maize and Blue
1/18/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The University of Michigan men's basketball dropped an 78-61 outcome at Ohio State on Thursday (Jan. 18) at the Value City Arena. The Wolverines committed 21 turnovers, while the Buckeyes shot 47.9 percent for the game. Bernard Robinson Jr. (Washington D.C./New Hampton Prep [N.H.]) was U-M's high-point man with 17 points, two steals and two rebounds. Josh Asselin (Caro, Mich./Caro HS) added 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the contest.
Michigan (7-8, 1-3 Big Ten) looked very comfortable at the start, connecting on four of its first five shots on opposing territory. Robinson Jr. got the Wolverines on track with their first possession, hitting a pull-up jumper from the free throw line for the game's first points. LaVell Blanchard (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) knocked down a fade-away jumper on the baseline on Michigan's second possession. U-M's big men came into the picture, as Asselin and Chris Young (Plymouth, Mich./Catholic Central HS) hit back-to-back buckets, allowing the Wolverines to claim an early 8-4 lead at the 16:58 mark.
Icy shooting and turnovers plagued the Wolverines over the next seven minutes, as Ohio State (12-5, 3-2 Big Ten) went on an 18-0 run before Gavin Groninger (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield HS) had the Wolverines' first three-point bucket of the night, making the score 22-11 with 9:30 left in the half.
The Wolverines received an offensive spark from their freshmen to close the gap. Robinson Jr. started it off by quieting the crowd on a dazzling reverse layup. Maurice Searight (Orchard Lake, Mich./St. Mary's HS) then demonstrated some one-on-one skills as he drove past his defender for an easy deuce on U-M's next possession. Robinson Jr. picked a Buckeye's pocket on the next trip down the court, and dished to Searight on a transition basket, forcing Ohio State to call a timeout with 4:42 remaining and a 27-19 game.
Blanchard scored on Michigan's final possession of the half with five seconds on the clock, but the Wolverines committed a costly foul at the buzzer to give the Buckeyes two additional points from the charity stripe and a 41-26 lead going into the locker room. Michigan shot 44 percent (11-25), but it was the Buckeyes' sharp-shooting (54.2 percent, 13-24) from the floor, including 4-6 from beyond the arc, that padded Ohio State's lead.
Michigan came out strong to start the second half. Blanchard got things started as he knocked down the first deuce of the half. Robinson Jr. then stole a pass at half court and took it the rest of the way for an uncontested one-handed slam. A few possessions later, Searight showed his tenacity on the offensive glass, tipping in his own shot. The Wolverines continued their 10-4 run with a Blanchard pull-up from the free throw line extended and a tough two points from Young, making it a 47-38 game with 12:56 to play.
The Wolverines continued to creep closer as they went on a 7-1 run thanks in part to strong shooting from Groninger and Robinson Jr., and taking advantage from the free throw line. With 8:14 left in regulation, Michigan was within five points, 52-47, and making it very difficult for the Buckeyes to get open looks at the basket.
Robinson Jr. used a nice shake-and-bake move to get himself open for an eight-foot jumper to keep Michigan within five points. But Ohio State responded, hitting back-to-back triples to give the Buckeyes a double-digit lead. After swapping free throws on both sides of the court, Ohio State led Michigan 66-58 before the final media timeout on the floor, with 3:22 on the clock.
Ohio State used a 7-2 run to pull away at the close of the contest, primarily from the charity stripe. The Wolverines scrapped for loose balls with high-pressure defense to force turnovers, but the Buckeyes continued to make their free throws in the final seconds to ice the victory.
The Wolverines close out a three-game road stretch with a 7 p.m. CST contest Saturday (Jan. 20) at Iowa (No. 14 AP, No. 16 ESPN/USA Today).
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
