Michigan
8-2,1-1Big Ten
Illinois
7-3,1-1Big Ten
Michigan Comeback Falls Short at Illinois
12/11/2019 11:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Three Wolverines notched double-digit points -- Jon Teske (16 points), Isaiah Livers (12) and Eli Brooks (12).
» Zavier Simpson dished out eight assists.
» Franz Wagner had three blocks against Illinois.
Site: Champaign, Ill. (State Farm Center)
Score: Illinois 71, #5 Michigan 62
Records: Michigan (8-2, 1-1 B1G), Iowa (7-3, 1-1 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Dec. 14 -- vs. No. 10 Oregon (Crisler Center), Noon (TV: CBS)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team (No. 5 AP/No. 7 USA Today) was unable to complete a comeback against Illinois as it fell to the Illini, 71-62, Wednesday night (Dec. 11) at the State Farm Center.
U-M had three players reach double-digit scoring in the loss. Jon Teske led Michigan with 16 points, while Isaiah Livers and Eli Brooks added 12 each to the Wolverine tally.
Senior Zavier Simpson added nine points and dished out a team-high eight assists, while Franz Wagner had a team-best three blocks against the Fighting Illini.
Defensively, Michigan (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten) forced Illinois into 13 turnovers, while only making eight with six steals. On the boards, Teske led Michigan with seven rebounds, and both Simpson and Brandon Johns Jr. pulled down four boards.
The Wolverines hit five straight shots, including a Teske three-pointer, to take a 13-10 lead going into the first first media timeout. Coming out of the break, the teams exchanged baskets for the remainder of the half with neither team able to build more than a four-point advantage. Illinois took a 30-28 advantage into halftime with 26 of its points coming in the paint.
Teske led the Wolverines with nine points, while Simpson dished out three assists and Johns Jr. grabbed three rebounds in the first half.
Coming out of halftime, Illinois (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) continued to build on its lead, pushing it to a 10-point advantage, 55-44, with nine minutes to play.
The Wolverines used back-to-back baskets from Livers and Brooks to cut the lead to six, but two free throws and a dunk quickly upped Illinois' lead back to double digits heading into the under-eight-minute media break.
With less than three minutes to play, the Wolverines offense heated up and stormed back to come within four, 66-62, with an 8-0 run, capped off with an and-one play from David DeJulius.
The Michigan comeback was stifled as Illinois used free throws in the closing minutes to seal the victory.
U-M will be back in action Saturday (Dec. 14) when it returns to Crisler Center for a non-conference contest against No. 10-ranked Oregon. Tipoff is scheduled for noon, and the game will be broadcast on CBS. The Michigan women's basketball team will follow at 3:30 p.m. when it hosts Appalachian State at Crisler.
