Michigan
Creighton
Michigan Survives OT Scare From Creighton at Old Spice Classic
11/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2009
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Site: Orlando, Fla. (Disney's Wide World of Sports -- The Milk House)
Event: Old Spice Classic (Quarterfinals)
Score: #15 Michigan 83, Creighton 76 (OT)
Records: U-M (3-0), Creighton (2-2)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 27 -- vs. Marquette at Old Spice Classic (Orlando, Fla.), Noon
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Junior guard Manny Harris (Detroit, Mich./Redford) scored 20 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the No. 15-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team to an 83-76 overtime victory over Creighton on Thursday afternoon (Nov. 26) in the first quarterfinal of the Old Spice Classic at the Milk House on Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. Seven of Harris' 20 points came during the extra frame.
Junior/sophomore guard Laval Lucas-Perry (Flint, Mich./Flint Powers Catholic) added 18 points, 15 of which came after the intermission, and senior forward DeShawn Sims (Detroit, Mich./Pershing) had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Wolverines overcame Creighton's 50 percent (33-of-66) shooting from the floor.
After leading by as many as five points with four minutes remaining in regulation, Creighton scored first in the overtime on a basket by Darryl Ashford before U-M responded with a 12-3 run to take an 81-73 lead with 50 seconds remaining in the extra period. Sophomore Zack Novak (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) hit a triple to give U-M a two-possession lead during the burst, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Bluejays. Novak finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Already leading 11-8 early in the contest, the Maize and Blue went on an 8-0 run to push its lead to double digits with 11:14 to play in the first half. Novak sparked the spurt for U-M with four quick points on a backdoor basket off an assist from Lucas-Perry, followed by a steal and layup.
Creighton trimmed the Wolverines' lead to just three, 24-21, with an 11-3 run, forcing a U-M timeout. Out of the timeout, Michigan responded with an 8-2 burst, capped by a trifecta from Novak with 4:34 to play in the opening stanza, giving U-M a 32-23 advantage.
The Maize and Blue took a three-point lead, 37-34, into the intermission after the Bluejays scored the final seven points of the half. Novak led U-M with 10 points in the first half, while Sims added eight points and Harris contributed six points and seven assists.
Justin Carter scored 12 points to lead Creighton at the break as the Blue Jays shot 57.1 percent from the field (16-of-28) in the opening 20 minutes.
Creighton took its first lead of the contest, 43-42, just under three minutes into the second half. Neither team could then gain an advantage of larger than three points until a triple for the Bluejays gave them a 59-55 lead with 9:24 left. Creighton continued to hold the lead for the next seven minutes as U-M was unable to close the gap, despite never trailing by more than five.
U-M finally retook the lead, 67-65, on a layup by Harris with 1:31 to play, capping a 7-0 run for the Maize and Blue. Lucas-Perry started the run by the Wolverines with a pair of free throws before sophomore guard Stu Douglass (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) buried a long-range triple to tie the game.
Following a Creighton basket to tie the score, Harris made a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining to give U-M a two-point lead. However, the Bluejays went the length of the floor for a layup to tie the score, 69-69, and send the contest to overtime.
Carter finished with 21 points and eight rebounds to lead Creighton.
With the victory, Michigan advances to the semifinals of the Old Spice Classic on Friday (Nov. 27) at noon. The Wolverines will take on Marquette, a 71-61 quarterfinal winner over Xavier, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
