Michigan
8-1,1-0Big Ten
Iowa
6-3,0-1Big Ten
Michigan Rolls Past Iowa Behind Six Double-Figure Scorers
12/6/2019 10:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Michigan notched its second 100-point game of the season in the win against Iowa.
» Franz Wagner scored a career-best 18 points.
» Michigan shot 55 percent from the field, and finished 29-of-34 (85 percent) from the free-throw line.
» Six players scored in double digits, with three players scoring career-highs.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #4 Michigan 103, Iowa 91
Records: Michigan (8-1, 1-0 B1G), Iowa (6-3, 0-1 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Dec. 11 – at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), 8 p.m. CST (TV: BTN)
Watch: Coach Howard Postgame Press Conference
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Prolific shooting spurred the University of Michigan men's basketball team (No. 4 AP/No. 5 USA Today) to a 103-91 victory over Iowa in its Big Ten opener Friday night (Dec. 6) at Crisler Center.
Michigan reached the 100-point mark for the second time in as many home games, marking the first time it scored 100 points two times in a season since 2015-16.
The Wolverines had six players, including all five starters, reach double digits for the first time since Jan. 6, 2018, against Illinois. Freshman Franz Wagner scored a career-best 18 points, going 9-for-10 from the free throw line to lead the Wolverines, while senior Jon Teske added 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting and blocked four shots.
Junior Isaiah Livers scored 14 points and grabbed six boards, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Junior Eli Brooks chipped in 12 points, including three three-pointers, and senior Zavier Simpson scored 16 points while adding seven assists and six rebounds.
The Michigan bench was a huge part of the victory, scoring 26 points with sophomore Brandon Johns Jr. pouring in a career-best 12 points, including 10 in the first half, and adding five offensive rebounds to his eight total on the evening. Senior center Austin Davis scored a career-best eight points off the bench, playing big minutes when Teske was in foul trouble, shooting 4-for-6 from the floor and grabbing three rebounds in 10 minutes.
The Wolverines made a season-high 29 free throws in 34 attempts. As a team, Michigan pulled down 38 rebounds with 12 offensive boards that led to 13 second-chance points.
The Wolverine offense started out fast, shooting 10-for-17 from the floor to help give Michigan a 29-21 lead over the first 10 minutes of the game. After back-and-forth scoring, two three-pointers and two free throws from Johns Jr. gave U-M a 43-33 lead with four minutes left in the first half.
Iowa was quick to answer, scoring five straight points to cut the lead to 43-38 before a Michigan timeout with three minutes remaining the half. Michigan stayed strong on defense to close out the first 20 minutes, going on a 7-0 run following the timeout before a three-pointer from Livers put Michigan ahead, 50-38, at halftime.
Johns. Jr provided a spark off the bench in the first half, scoring a career-high 10 points and leading the team in scoring entering the break. Both Livers and Wagner scored eight points in the first half, including two key three-pointers from Livers and six free throws from Wagner. Simpson scored seven points and dished out five assists in the first half.
The Michigan offense continued its offensive surge to start the second half, scoring 12 points within the first five minutes.
Iowa fought back and cut the U-M lead to 78-71 with seven minutes remaining. Following the break, Davis slammed back to back dunks to bring the U-M lead to 82-71 with six minutes left in the game.
A Wagner dunk put the Wolverines over 100 points as finished off the Hawkeyes.
U-M will travel to Champaign, Illinois, for it's next contest against the Illini on Wednesday (Dec. 11). Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
