Michigan
13-4 (3-1)
Maryland
15-2 (4-1)
Wolverines Stave Off No. 3 Terrapins on Super Tuesday
1/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2016
» Derrick Walton Jr. was clutch on both ends of the floor down the stretch, contributing 12 points and 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double.
» The Wolverines played stifling perimeter defense, as Maryland shot just 25 percent from downtown and leading scorer Melo Trimble was held to two points.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 70, #3 Maryland 67
Records: U-M (13-4, 3-1 Big Ten), UMD (15-2, 4-1 Big Ten)
Attendance: 12,327
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Jan. 17-- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 3:30 p.m. CST [ TV: BTN ]
• Kornacki Postgame Feature: Donnal Accepts Coach Beilein's Challenge in B1G Way
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team used a strong all-around performance to hold on to a 70-67 win over the Maryland Terrapins (No. 3 AP, No. 3 Coaches) on Tuesday night (Jan.12) inside the Crisler Center.
The Wolverines led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but the Terrapins fought back to make things close. Michigan shot well when it needed to, finishing the game 25-of-53 (47.2 percent) from the floor. The Wolverines also stepped up on the defensive end, limiting Maryland to just 6-of-24 (25 percent) shooting from three-point range while holding leading scorer Melo Trimble to two points.
Junior guard Zak Irvin led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-7 from behind the arc. Junior/sophomore Duncan Robinson added 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range. Junior guard Derrick Walton Jr. was the Wolverines' final double-figure scorer, posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
After trailing for much of the second half, the Terrapins put together an 11-2 run and tied the game at 54-54 at the 7:33 mark. The Wolverines regained the lead, but Maryland cut the deficit back to two, 61-59 with 4:33 left in the contest. Walton answered with a step-back three-pointer with a hand in his face to stretch the margin to five.
On the next possession, Irvin splashed a long ball to give the Wolverines a 67-59 edge with 2:58 remaining. Walton connected on another step-back jumper, giving Michigan breathing room with 1:15 left in the game.
The Terrapins responded with five straight points to make it 69-67, but junior forward Mark Donnal pulled in a huge offensive rebound with 14 seconds to play to reset the shot clock. The big man was fouled on the inbounds play and made one free throw to give Michigan a three-point lead. Maryland failed to score on the game's final possession, giving the Wolverines an upset victory.
The Maize and Blue got off to a solid start early in the first half. After the Terrapins took a 4-2 lead, Walton and Irvin knocked down back-to-back triples to swing the advantage back to the Wolverines, 8-4. Two minutes later, Robinson got his defender to bite on a ball fake, and the sharpshooter buried Michigan's third three-pointer of the game, giving the Wolverines an 11-6 lead and momentum at the first media timeout.
Michigan's defense continued to put Maryland shooters under pressure, and sophomore guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman drained a three to give the home team its largest lead of the half, 16-9, with 12:48 remaining. The Terrapins battled back, taking a 22-21 lead after Robert Carter hit a fade-away three-pointer to beat the shot clock.
Carter's long ball sparked a wild flurry of three-pointers from both teams. Robinson connected from the corner with 5:27 left in the half to make it 24-22, before Jake Layman hit from the wing to give the lead right back to Maryland. The Wolverines began to take control down the stretch, however. Robinson drained two more triples to put Michigan up 30-25 with a little less than three minutes remaining in the half, and then Irvin knocked down a three of his own to make it 33-27.
Michigan's defense suffocated the Terrapins' attack in the final two minutes. Donnal came up with two massive blocks in the paint on back-to-back plays to deny easy buckets. On the Wolverines' next possession, Donnal capped the first half with a buzzer-beating tap-in off a missed three to give the Maize and Blue a 37-29 edge at the break. Michigan finished 12-of-25 (48 percent) from the floor in the first stanza, connecting on 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) shots from beyond the arc. The Wolverines' defense held Maryland to just 3-of-10 (30 percent) from downtown.
Michigan continued to put pressure on the Terrapins in the opening minutes of the second half. Robinson knocked down his fifth three-pointer of the game, and Donnal scored inside to make it 44-33. Less than a minute later, Walton buried a long-triple and was fouled on the play. His free throw capped a four-point play that gave Michigan a 13-point, 48-35 advantage, its largest lead of the game.
The Wolverines will look for a second straight win against a ranked opponent when they hit the road to face the Iowa Hawkeyes (No. 16 AP) on Sunday (Jan. 17) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Coverage can be found on Big Ten Network with opening tip set for 3:30 p.m. CST.
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70 | 67 |
• With the 70-67 win over No. 3 Maryland, Michigan defeated a top-three nationally ranked opponent for the first time since it defeated No. 3 Duke, 81-73, on Dec. 13, 1997.
• The Wolverines have had 10 or more three-pointers in 13 of 17 games this season, including 12-for-29 (41.4 percent) shooting from beyond the arc tonight.
• The Wolverines assisted on 12 of their 25 made field goals (48 percent). Tonight also marked the 15th game with 10 or more assists as a team this season.
• Seven different players scored tonight for Michigan, including three players with double-digit points -- Zak Irvin (22), Duncan Robinson (17), and Derrick Walton Jr. (12).
• Zak Irvin scored a season-high and team-best 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting overall and 3-for-6 shooting from downtown. It marked the third time in the last five games Irvin has scored 15 or more points.
• Derrick Walton Jr. recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and also added four assists. It marked his second time hitting double digits in both categories in the same game this season, as he notched a triple-double against Youngstown State on December 19 (10P, 11R, 13A).
• Duncan Robinson has had five or more three-pointers in six games this season, finishing the night 5-for-9 (55.6 percent) from long range.
Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot
