Michigan
11-7, 1-4
Indiana
10-8, 1-4
Wolverines Lose at Indiana Despite 22 Points from Morris
1/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2011
• Box Score | Notes | Highlights 
• John Beilein Postgame Audio: Press Conference 
| Radio Show
Site: Bloomington, Ind. (Assembly Hall)
Score: Indiana 80, Michigan 61
Records: U-M (11-7, 1-4 Big Ten), Indiana (10-8, 1-4 Big Ten)
Attendance: 17,168
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Jan. 18 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 8 p.m. CST (TV: Big Ten Network)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team had four players score in double figures, led by sophomore Darius Morris' (Los Angeles, Calif./Windward) 22 points, but Indiana shot 67.4 percent (29-of-43) from the floor and had a 37-18 rebounding advantage in an 80-61 win on Saturday night (Jan. 15) at Assembly Hall.
Morris scored 20-plus points in a game for the fifth time this season, going 7-of-16 from the floor and 8-of-12 from the free throw line. Morris also had a game-high seven assists. Redshirt freshman Jordan Morgan (Detroit, Mich./U of D Jesuit), junior Zack Novak (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) and freshman Tim Hardaway Jr., (Miami, Fla./Palmetto Senior) netted 10 points apiece for the Maize and Blue, which shot 36.4 percent (20-for-55) from the field.
Michigan was outrebounded 19-7 and shot just 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from the field in the opening period as Indiana took a 30-15 lead into the locker room at half.
Novak scored U-M's first points on a three at 18:47, before Morgan gave Michigan a 5-4 lead on a jumper at 16:45, but that was the last lead the Maize and Blue had in the first half. A 6-0 Hoosier run was capped by two Verdell Jones III free throws at 14:37, but Hardaway drilled a three at 13:07 to cut Indiana's lead to 12-9. Indiana, which shot 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from the field in the first 20 minutes, again went on a 6-0 run that was stopped by a layup from Morris at 8:20. Jones and Christian Watford then had four points apiece in a 3:35 span, giving Indiana a 26-11 lead. Michigan had a mini 4-0 run, spurred by a three from junior Stu Douglass (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) at 3:45 but went into the half trailing by 15 points as Jones scored IU's last four points in a 50-second span.
In the second half, Indiana extended its lead to 36-19 on a Jordan Hulls jumper at 15:55 and had as much as a 21-point lead (44-23) on a Matt Roth three at 13:22. A Hardaway three at 10:06 shaved the IU lead to 46-33 and Morgan's dunk at 8:33 made it an 11-point Hoosier advantage. Despite shooting 44.1 percent (15-of-34) in the second half, U-M never got any closer. A Hardaway three was bookended by two Hulls three-pointers, giving IU a 52-38 advantage with 7:34 left. Freshman Evan Smotrycz (Reading, Mass./New Hampton Prep [N.H.]) hit a triple to cut the lead to 11 (58-47) with 4:43 left, but Indiana scored seven of the game's next eight points as a Jones layup at 2:40 made it 65-48. Morris had six points in the last 2:02, but IU hit 10 free throws the last 2:18 to ice the win and send U-M to its fourth straight defeat.
Jones led IU with a game-high 24 points, while Watford added 17 for the Hoosiers. Watford made it a double-double with 10 rebounds, while Tom Pritchard had seven boards. Michigan forced Indiana into 16 turnovers, scoring 10 points off IU's mistakes.
Michigan will wrap up its brief two-game road trip on Tuesday (Jan. 18) at Northwestern. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. CST and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
