Michigan
3-0
Detroit
1-2
Wolverines Fight Off Titans with Late Run
11/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2014
• Box Score | Quotes | Notes | MGoBlue.com 
| USA Today
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Event: Legends Classic
Score: #24 Michigan 71, Detroit 62
Records: U-M (3-0), UDM (1-2)
Attendance: 11,812
Next U-M Event: Monday, Nov. 24 -- vs. Oregon - Legends Classic (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 9 p.m.
• Kornacki Postgame Feature: Albrecht, Walton Team Up to Help Wolverines Beat Detroit
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team (No. 24 AP/No. 22 ESPN/USA Today) used a late 11-0 run to defeat Detroit Mercy, 71-62, on Thursday night (Nov. 20) in its second game of the Progressive Legends Classic inside Crisler Center. Former U-M All-American Campy Russell (1972-74) was honored at halftime as "Legend of the Game."
Junior guard Caris LeVert paced the Wolverines with a team-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting and added a game-high nine rebounds. Sophomore guard/forward Zak Irvin finished with 18 points, while his classmate Derrick Walton Jr. was Michigan's final double-digit scorer with 14 points.
Detroit scored the first basket of the game and pulled out to a 10-7 lead, but U-M responded with buckets by Irvin and LeVert to take the 11-10 lead at 11:36. The Titans scored six straight points to put them ahead 16-13 with 7:50 left before the half, but Walton tied the score at 16 a minute later with an old-fashioned three-point play at the rim.
A jumper by Paris Bass put the Titans up 26-21 with 2:03 to play before the intermission, but Irvin answered with back-to-back triples to give the Wolverines a 27-26 lead, forcing Detroit to call timeout with under a minute left before the break. Then the Titans scored right before the buzzer to go ahead, 28-27, heading into the intermission.
Michigan shot 10-of-29 (34.5 percent) in the first frame and hit only three of its 12 attempts from three (25 percent). Detroit made 11 of its 26 field goal attempts (42.3 percent) and went 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) from long distance before halftime.
Walton hit a three to open the second half and give U-M a 30-28 lead, but the Titans responded with a triple, followed by a three-point play by Juwan Howard Jr. to give them a 34-30 advantage.
The Maize and Blue scored five straight points to take back the lead, and LeVert's fast break dunk forced Detroit to call timeout at the 15:56 mark. After the stoppage, LeVert scored eight straight points, including a three-point play in transition to put U-M ahead, 43-34, and force another Detroit timeout with 12:49 remaining.
Later, a long three by junior guard Spike Albrecht increased U-M's lead to nine points, but Howard answered with a three of his own to cut the Titans' deficit to 48-42 midway through the half. Howard followed with another triple and then converted on a three-point play to tie the score at 52 with 5:39 to play.
LeVert made a free throw to break the tie, and Irvin added a three from the wing to give the Wolverines the 56-52 lead and pump up the crowd inside Crisler.
Walton went coast-to-coast on the next possession, LeVert made two free throws, and Irvin hit a corner three in transition to cap off an 11-0 run that put Michigan up 63-52 with 2:55 left in the game.
The Wolverines shot 23-of-53 (43.4 percent) for the night and made nine of their 24 attempts (37.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Detroit finished the game shooting an identical 23-of-53 from the floor, going 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) on three-pointers.
Michigan won the rebounding battle, 37-25, and committed a season-high 11 turnovers. Howard led all scorers with 24 points.
The Wolverines next travel to Brooklyn, N.Y., to take on Oregon in the semifinal round of Progressive Legends Classic on Monday night (Nov. 24) at Barclays Center. Time of tipoff is 9 a.m., and the game will be available on WatchESPN.
Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot, Chad Shepard (734) 763-4423
