Michigan
Michigan State
U-M Ends Drought vs. Spartans, Claims 13th Straight Win
1/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team won its 13th straight game Sunday afternoon (Jan. 26), outlasting Michigan State 60-58 in front of a sellout crowd of 13,751 in Crisler Arena. The win was U-M's first win over the Spartans in nine tries dating back to 1997-98 season, and the Wolverines (13-6) improved to 6-0 in the Big Ten Conference for the first time since the 1976-77 season.
| | Horton scored eight of his 17 points during Michigan's 11-0 run late in the game. |
The Wolverines were led by Horton, who finished with 17 points, four assists and no turnovers while playing the entire 40 minutes. Freshman guard Lester Abram (Pontiac, Mich./Northern HS) contributed 14 points, while junior wing Bernard Robinson Jr. (Washington, D.C./New Hampton Prep, N.H.) poured in 13 points and collected a team-high seven rebounds. Hill led the Spartans with a game-high 20 points.
Michigan controlled the tip, but it was Michigan State which struck first with a basket from forward Erazem Lorbek. Abram then put U-M on the scoreboard with two free throws. After another bucket from the Spartans, freshman center Graham Brown (Mio, Mich./Mio-AuSable HS) scored four straight points to put Michigan ahead 6-4 with 15:32 remaining in the first half.
MSU came out of the first media timeout with four unanswered points to regain a two-point advantage. Abram put Michigan back in front 10-8 with a turnaround jumper inside and another basket in transition. Hill stopped the Michigan run with a three-point play inside to give the Spartans a 13-10 edge with just under 13 minutes left in the first stanza.
Horton evened the score with his first triple of the game, but MSU responded with a bucket to go back on top. The Wolverines then seized the momentum, as Horton scored a quick basket and Robinson followed with a breakaway dunk off a steal to give U-M the 17-15 edge at the 11:00 mark.
U-M's starting backcourt of Abram (above) and Horton did not commit a single turnover. | |
The two teams traded baskets in the closing minutes of the half, as Horton scored four points and senior guard Gavin Groninger (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield HS) connected from behind the arc. Forward Alan Anderson scored Michigan State's final four points to trim Michigan's lead to 31-28 heading into the locker room.
Robinson led U-M at the break with nine points, but the real story in the first half was the freshman class, which scored 18 of Michigan's 31 points, including the first 15 of the contest. Horton and Abram spearheaded the charge, collecting seven and six points, respectively. Anderson paced Michigan State with 11 points in the first half.
Abram got things going for Michigan in the second half, scoring while he was fouled and completing the three-point play to give U-M a 34-28 advantage. The Spartans then used an 8-4 run to knot the score at 40-40 with 12:09 remaining in the game. Abram broke the tie with a triple in the corner as he was knocked down and Robinson followed with two points from the free throw line to give Michigan a five-point cushion. The Spartans halted U-M's charge with a triple from Hill with just under 11 minutes left.
Michigan State used two more triples from Hill during a 9-2 run to build a 52-47 lead, its biggest of the game, with just over six minutes to go. The Wolverines came back with five unanswered points, as Abram hit a shot off the glass and Horton hit a runner and a free throw to even things again at 52-52 with just under three minutes to play. That set the stage for Horton's late-game heroics, as the freshman scored six of Michigan's final eight points to help the Wolverines pull out the two-point victory.
The Wolverines will next travel to Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois on Wednesday (Jan. 29) at 7 p.m. CST.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
