Michigan
11-8,2-6Big Ten
Illinois
15-5,7-2Big Ten
Michigan Falls to Illinois at Crisler on Last-Second Shot
1/25/2020 4:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» U-M fell, 64-62, to No. 21 Illinois on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 25).
» Franz Wagner grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.
» Zavier Simpson led the Wolverines in scoring for the second straight contest with 17 points.
» Michigan will hits the road for a Tuesday night (Jan. 28) contest at Nebraska.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #21 Illinois 64, Michigan 62
Records: Michigan (11-8, 2-6 B1G), Illinois (15-5, 7-2 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Jan. 28 -- at Nebraska (Lincoln, Neb.), 6 p.m. CST (TV: ESPNU)
• Watch: Coach Howard Postgame Press Conference
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team got a team-high 17 points from senior guard Zavier Simpson, but the Wolverines fell, 64-62, to No. 21-ranked Illinois on Saturday (Jan. 25) at Crisler Center.
The final margin was supplied by a contested Ayo Dosunmu jumper with 0.5 seconds remaining in the game.
Simpson's 17 points led the Wolverines for the second consecutive game, while Jon Teske and Franz Wagner joined Simpson in double digits with 12 points each. Junior Eli Brooks had two steals and also grabbed six rebounds.
Michigan got off to a good start, leading, 5-2 early in the game on a layup by Simpson and a three-pointer by Wagner. Illinois answered with a 13-5 spurt over 5:24 seconds to take a 15-10 lead before a Wagner layup ended the Illin run and cut the lead the U-M deficit to three, 15-12, with 12:04 remaining in the first half.
Illinois built a 22-14 lead with 7:58 left in the first half as Michigan called a timeout. After the stoppage, both teams went scoreless until a Brooks layup cut the Illinois lead to 22-16 with 5:38 on the clock and sparked the Wolverine offense
Following layups from Teske and Isaiah Livers, Simpson scored nine points in a span of 3:10 to bring Michigan withing four, 34-30, heading into the halftime break.
Wagner got the Wolverines started quickly in the second half, with a contested layup and a free throw on an and-one play. Less than two minutes later, Livers brought the crowd to its feet when he dropped a three-pointer from the top of the arc to put control back into the Wolverines' hands, 38-37, with 17:24 to go.
For the next five minutes, neither team held a lead larger than three points until Dosunmu hit a jumper and three-pointer to put Illinois ahead, 50-47, with 12:20 remaining. The lead changed hands six times over the next 10:20, before a David DeJulius jumper with 2:25 left in regulation gave Michigan a 62-60 lead and set up the final stretch of the contest.
Michigan will hit the road for its next game, traveling to Lincoln for a Tuesday night (Jan. 28) showdown against Nebraska. Opening tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST and the game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
