Michigan
10-6 (3-1)
Minnesota
11-6 (0-4)
Michigan Throws Down Minnesota in Throwbacks
1/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 10, 2015
• Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 
• Beilein Postgame Press Conference 
| Postgame Report
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 62, Minnesota 57
Records: U-M (10-6, 3-1 Big Ten), MINN (11-6, 0-4 Big Ten)
Attendance: 12,707 (sellout)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Jan. 13 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m. [ TV: ESPN ]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team, wearing uniforms honoring the 1989 national championship team, came back from a second-half deficit and defeated Minnesota, 62-57, on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 10) inside Crisler Arena. Down 49-40 with less than nine minutes remaining, the Wolverines finished the game on a 22-8 run to help them to their 10th victory of the season.
Sophomore Derrick Walton Jr. recorded 15 points, five rebounds and three assists while shooting 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Junior Caris LeVert also chipped in 15 points and tied his career high with four steals. Sophomore Zak Irvin posted 12 points and four rebounds, and freshman Ricky Doyle scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.
Junior Spike Albrecht made a one-handed layup to cut the Gopher lead to 39-37, but Minnesota used a 7-0 run to go up 46-37 with 11:02 left in the game. The run ended when Walton made a pull-up three, but Nate Mason hit a three of his own to give the Gophers the 49-40 lead with 8:56 left. Minutes later, Walton made two free throws to start a 7-0 run that was capped off by an old-fashioned three-point play by Doyle, and this brought U-M within two points of the lead at 49-47 with 6:56 to play.
Minnesota won a scramble for the ball under Michigan's basket and used its final timeout with 4:48 on the clock. Irvin made two free throws to cut the Gopher lead to one point, and Walton knocked down a corner three on the next possession to give the Wolverines the 54-52 lead with 3:24 remaining in the game.
LeVert was fouled while attempting a three, and he hit all three free throws to put U-M on top, 57-52, with 2:26 left. Andre Hollins then hit a three on the other end to bring his team within two points of the lead with two minutes to go. Michigan gained possession of the ball and called timeout with 38.8 seconds left, and out of the stoppage, Walton found Doyle for an alley-oop dunk that made the score 59-55. Mason made a layup seconds later, but the Wolverines made their free throws in the final seconds.
Michigan shot 21-of-52 (40.4 percent) on the day and made 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from long distance. Minnesota went 19-of-49 (38.8 percent) on field goals and made 8-of-22 attempts (36.4 percent) from three. Hollins led all scorers with 18 points, and Carlos Morris was right behind with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
The Wolverines controlled a 6-3 lead after the first five minutes of the game. Then Walton made a steal and passed up the court to LeVert, who was fouled while making a layup, and he hit the ensuing free throw to put his team ahead by six. Hollins hit his second triple of the game to cut the Gophers' deficit to 11-9, but LeVert scored the next two baskets, including a double-pump slam in the fast break that extended U-M's lead to 15-9 midway through the first half.
Two Walton free throws made the score 17-12, but Minnesota answered with nine straight points, including five from Morris, to take the 21-17 lead. Michigan finally ended the Gopher run when Irvin hit a jumper with 5:21 left before halftime.
Joey King connected from long range to give Minnesota a five-point lead, but Albrecht drained a jumper on the next possession, and Doyle had a reverse slam under the basket to bring the Wolverines within one point of the lead at 26-25. Then Elliott Eliason made a free throw for the Gophers to give them the 27-25 lead heading into the break.
Michigan shot 10-of-28 (35.7 percent) in the first half and missed all eight attempts from three-point range. Minnesota went 8-of-20 (40 percent) from the floor before halftime and shot 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
After Morris scored the opening basket of the second half, Michigan came back with a Walton jumper and an Irvin three to take a 30-29 lead, the team's first lead since the 7:08 mark of the first half. LeVert made a floater to make the score 32-31, but Minnesota responded by scoring six straight points, before Walton hit a three at 15:01 to cut U-M's deficit to 37-35.
Maurice Walker led the game with 10 rebounds, and the Gophers won the rebounding battle, 37-31. Michigan committed only nine turnovers on the day, while Minnesota finished with 17 giveaways.
The Maize and Blue travel to Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday night (Jan. 13) to take on Ohio State inside Value City Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot, Chad Shepard (734) 763-4423
