Michigan
11-7 (4-2)
Northwestern
10-8 (1-4)
Wolverines Hold On to Tame Wildcats
1/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2015
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• Highlights 
| Beilein Postgame Press Conference
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 56, Northwestern 54
Records: U-M (11-7, 4-2 Big Ten), NW (10-8, 1-4 Big Ten)
Attendance: 12,707 (sellout)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Jan. 20 -- at Rutgers (Piscataway, N.J.), 6:30 p.m. [ TV: BTN ]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Wolverine freshman Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman drained a three with one minute left to play, and Wildcats' Bryant McIntosh missed the game-tying shot before the buzzer to give the University of Michigan men's basketball team the 56-54 victory over Northwestern on Saturday night (Jan. 17) inside Crisler Center.
Abdur-Rahkman finished with a career-high nine points on 4-of-7 shooting in his first collegiate start, and he also set a career high with five rebounds. Junior Caris LeVert posted 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists in the game, while sophomore Derrick Walton Jr. was Michigan's other double-digit scorer with 14 points (4-of-6 from three) and five rebounds.
Walton hit his fourth triple of the night to give Michigan its first lead of the second half at 48-46, and it forced Northwestern to call timeout with 6:21 to play.
JerShon Cobb made a corner three following the stoppage to reclaim the Northwestern lead, but the Wolverines responded with a driving layup by LeVert. Two possessions later, sophomore Zak Irvin grabbed an offensive rebound and nailed a triple from the right wing to put U-M ahead, 53-49, with 3:48 remaining.
Scottie Lindsey hit a three to cut the Wildcats' deficit to 53-52, and they called timeout with 1:15 left on the game clock. Then out of the break, Abdur-Rahkman hit a three-pointer of his own to give Michigan a four-point lead. Alex Olah made a layup on the other end to make the score 56-54, and Northwestern used a timeout with 43 seconds left.
LeVert missed a jumper on the ensuing possession to give the Wildcats one final chance to score, but McIntosh's shot off the glass missed just before the buzzer sounded.
Olah led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, and he added seven rebounds. Northwestern won the rebounding battle, 38-29, and outscored Michigan in the paint, 28-20. The Wolverines posted a season-best three turnovers in the game, while the Wildcats ended the night with 12 giveaways.
Walton made a three for the first basket of the game, but the Wildcats held an 11-10 lead when they used their first timeout at 14:49. The Wolverines then went on to score the next 11 points, including five from LeVert, and Northwestern called timeout with 11:30 left before the half. Following the stoppage, Abdur-Rahkman and fellow freshman Kameron Chatman scored the next two baskets to put U-M up 25-11, and then the Wildcats finally made a basket to end the 18-0 Wolverine run.
Freshman Ricky Doyle made a layup following an offensive board to put the Maize and Blue ahead, 27-15, but Northwestern scored seven straight to come within five points of the lead. LeVert grabbed a rebound and went coast-to-coast, but then Olah made consecutive layups to cut the NW deficit to 29-26 and force Michigan to use a timeout with 3:20 left before the break.
LeVert made two free throws to give U-M a 31-28 advantage with one minute on the clock, but Olah made another basket and Vic Law nailed a jumper at the buzzer to put the Wildcats on top, 32-31, heading into the intermission.
Michigan shot 11-of-28 (39.3 percent) in the first half, and went 4-of-10 (40 percent) on three-point attempts. Northwestern went 13-of-29 (44.8 percent) on field goals before the break, and shot 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) from long distance. LeVert led all scorers with 14 first-half points, while Olah was right behind with 13.
Walton knocked down a triple from the right wing to tie the game two minutes into the second half, but Olah converted an old-fashioned three-point play and Law made a layup to give the Wildcats the 39-34 lead. Senior Max Bielfeldt scored on a pick-and-roll with LeVert, and then he connected from downtown to tie the score at 39 with 13 minutes left in the game.
Olah scored to put NU up 45-41 at the midpoint of the second half, but Abdur-Rakhman made a layup in transition two minutes later to knot the score at 45 apiece.
Michigan shot 20-of-58 (34.5 percent) on the night, and made 9-of-23 (39.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Northwestern went 22-of-52 (42.3 percent) on field goals, and knocked down 5-of-20 (25 percent) three-pointers.
The Maize and Blue travel to Piscataway, New Jersey, on Tuesday night (Jan. 20) to take on Rutgers inside Louis Brown Athletic Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot, Chad Shepard (734) 763-4423
