Michigan
14-10,8-6Big Ten
Iowa
17-8,7-7Big Ten
Diabate's Career-Best 28 Points Guide Wolverines to Road Victory at Iowa
2/17/2022 10:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» After building a 12-point second-half lead, Michigan held off a late Iowa run to win 84-79.
» Moussa Diabate led U-M with a game- and career-high 28 points.
» DeVante' Jones posted his second double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in his last three games, adding five assists and four steals.
» In addition to his 14 points and nine rebounds, Hunter Dickinson had a career-best seven assists.
Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
Score: Michigan 84, Iowa 79
Records: U-M (14-10, 8-6 B1G), Iowa (17-8, 7-7 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Feb. 20 -- at #15 Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), Noon CST (TV: CBS)
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- With a career-best 28 points from Moussa Diabate, a double-double from DeVante' Jones and five Wolverines in double figures, the University of Michigan men's basketball team defeated Iowa 84-79 on Thursday night (Feb. 17) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
After the Wolverines built a 12-point second-half lead, Iowa chipped away over the final five minutes of regulation to draw within three. However, Michigan (14-10; 8-6 Big Ten) made free throws down the stretch to hang on for its eighth Big Ten win of the season. U-M closed the game shooting 50 percent from the field, scoring 46 points in the paint and capitalizing on 11 Iowa turnovers for 18 points.
Diabate nearly reached his career-best in the first half, finishing with 14 points in the opening stanza. He finished 12-for-15 from the field, adding eight rebounds, a block and a steal. Diabate's 28 points tie Hunter Dickinson's season best and was Diabate's first 20+ point game, surpassing the 15 points he scored at Rutgers (Jan. 4) and No. 3 Purdue (Feb. 10).
For the second time in three games, Jones recorded a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) and added five assists and four steals. Dickinson scored 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds, blocked two shots and had a career-best seven assists. Eli Brooks had 13 points, five assists and four rebounds.
With Terrance Williams II out with an ankle injury, Kobe Bufkin came off the bench for 10 points -- the third 10+ point performance of his career.
The game featured offense early, with U-M and Iowa going up and down the floor to combine for 11-for-14 shooting in the first five minutes.The Hawkeyes (6-for-7) held a 14-13 advantage heading into the first media break. Out of the timeout, U-M used two steals and transition scoring to go on an 11-0 run and take a 21-14 lead as Iowa was forced to call a timeout.
With Dickinson resting on the bench, Iowa responded out of the timeout with a 13-2 run to reclaim the lead, 27-24. U-M used a timeout to stop the momentum, and as was the pattern of the half, the Maize and Blue went on a quick 8-0 run to reclaim the lead, 31-27.
Iowa went scoreless for three and a half minutes, ended by a pair of free throws to settle the Hawkeyes. Diabate's soft floating hook tied the score at 33 as both squads went into the half's final media break.
Late in the half, with Iowa ahead 37-35, a pair of Kobe Bufkin free throws knotted the game at 37, but an Iowa court-length pass led to a Keegan Murray buzzer-beating turnaround jumper to give Iowa a 39-37 advantage at halftime. Diabate carried the load in the first half with his 12 points, going 6-for-8 from the field, while Bufkin scored eight off the bench.
Continuing where they left off in the first half, the second half action was fast and furious as each squad went 4-for-6 from the field to tie the game at 48 at the first media break. With a pair of free throws and a three-pointer from Brooks along with four more points from Diabate, the Wolverines bounced back with an 11-5 run to take a 59-53 lead into the media timeout.
With the Maize and Blue continuing to push its inside-outside game with Brooks and Diabate, the Wolverines pushed their lead to 11, 68-57, before the Hawkeyes capitalized on U-M miscues to head to the under eight timeout down 70-62. Iowa continued to miss open shots, including two dunks and three layup attempts while going 1-for-8. Meanwhile, the Wolverines maintained a 10-point lead, 76-66, heading into the final timeout (3:25 left).
Leading by as many as 12 points, U-M saw the Hawkeyes string together a 9-0 run -- seven points coming from Patrick McCaffery -- on 5-for-6 shooting, while the Wolverines went 0-for-7, to see their lead dwindle to just three points, 78-75, with 1:20 left.
A pair of Houstan free throws helped keep the Michigan lead at three points, 80-77. A missed Iowa three-pointer led to the Hawkeyes fouling Jones. He missed the first attempt, but draining the second and U-M went up four, 81-79.
Racing down the court, an Ahron Ulis layup cut Michigan's lead to two, 81-79. Out of Iowa's final timeout, Jones was fouled again. He stepped to the line and made one of the two foul shots to keep U-M up three, 82-79. Bohannon took the inbound pass, ran down the court and heaved a three-pointer just beyond hal court, but Jones grabbed the rebound -- his 10th of the game -- and was fouled with less than a second remaining in the clock. He made both free throws Michigan left Iowa City with a victory.
U-M will close the week with a trip to Madison to take on No. 15 Wisconsin on Sunday (Feb. 20) at Kohl Center. Tipoff is scheduled for noon CST, and the game will be broadcast live on CBS.
