Michigan
Illinois
Unlucky 13: Michigan Win Streak Ended by No. 13 Illinois
1/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team had its 13-game unbeaten streak snapped Wednesday night (Jan. 29), falling 67-60 to No. 13 Illinois at Assembly Hall. The Fighting Illini rallied from an 11-point deficit thanks to 26 second-half points from Brian Cook. The preseason Big Ten Player of the Year exploded for 17 points in the final eight minutes, spearheading a 26-13 run that helped Illinois to the comeback victory.
| | A career-high 10 rebounds helped Hunter register his first career double-double. |
Michigan took control of the opening tip, but it was the Fighting Illini who got on the scoreboard first with a pair of free throws from center James Augustine. U-M answered with four straight points from freshman center Graham Brown (Mio, Mich./Mio-AuSable HS), who wound up with 10 points in the contest. Illinois then went on a 10-2 run over the next two minutes to take a 12-7 advantage with 14:06 left in the first half.
Freshmen Daniel Horton (Cedar Hill, Texas/Cedar Hill HS) and Sherrod Harrell (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central HS) got Michigan back on track, scoring the next four points, but center Nick Smith hit two free throws and threw home a wide-open dunk to put Illinois ahead 16-11 with 11:28 remaining in the first stanza. After a U-M timeout, Blanchard hit a spinning jumper in the lane, triggering a 13-0 scoring run over the next four minutes. Blanchard was responsible for seven points during the run, while Hunter netted his first six points, giving Michigan a 24-18 lead at the 7:37 mark.
The Fighting Illini used a 10-3 run over the next four minutes to trim U-M's lead to 27-26 with under just over three minutes to play in the half, but Blanchard then reeled off six unanswered points to provide Michigan with a seven-point cushion. In the final minute, Augustine hit two free throws to send Illinois to the locker room trailing 33-28 at the break.
Blanchard (13) and Hunter (eight) combined for 21 of Michigan's 33 first-half points. Augustine paced Illinois with seven points at the break.
The Maize and Blue took a game-high 11-point lead in the opening minutes of the second half, thanks to four points from Brown and an alley-oop slam by Blanchard. Five unanswered points from Illinois cut the U-M lead to 39-33, but junior wing Bernard Robinson Jr. (Washington, D.C./New Hampton Prep, N.H.) scored four points of his own to put the Wolverines ahead by eight with 13:03 left in the game.
A Lester Abram (Pontiac, Mich./Northern HS) steal led to an easy bucket for Horton, increasing the Michigan lead to 45-35. Illinois scored the next four points of the game from the charity stripe, but a layup from Brown helped U-M sustain an eight-point edge. Following another basket from the Illini and a miss from Michigan on the other end, Robinson received a technical for disputing a foul call. The penalty sent Cook to the line to shoot four shots, and the senior drained all of them, allowing the Fighting Illini to climb within two points, 49-47, with 8:16 to play in the contest.
That play spurred the 26-13 Illinois run, as Cook's late-game heroics helped the Illini to the victory. Blanchard and Abram connected on triples in the closing minutes of the game to keep Michigan within reach, but Cook's key buckets down the stretch and three free throws from guard Deron Williams in the final seconds sealed the win for the Fighting Illini.
The Wolverines will next travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to face Minnesota on Saturday (Feb. 1) at 1:34 p.m. CST.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Tommy Amaker
On the game ... "We battled the whole game and it was right there for us. We had a double-digit lead in the second half that we could not hold. (Brian) Cook was obviously the difference in the game. He scored in a variety of different ways for them. For a team that has showed so much poise and toughness for such a long time, I was a little disappointed that we kind of came apart at the seams. To be able to win in the future, both at home and on the road, we need to have more composure."
On how Brian Cook was able to beat Michigan's defense in the second half ... "He was much more demanding of the ball. He was also more aggressive in his posting up and was able to get some fouls on us. He just gave an outstanding performance in the game and throughout the second half."
On Illinois' free throw advantage ... "They really did have an advantage there. It is usually the other way for us. We need to turn that around for us to be able to win."
On if there are any positives that Michigan can take from the game ... "I hope so. I will be able to answer that question better after we have a chance to reflect and review the tape. To be up in the second half on the road against a team like Illinois makes me proud, but I am disappointed we did not show the poise and composure necessary to close the game out."
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
