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No. 15 Michigan overcomes Iowa in OT 77-71 in Big Ten Tourney

Sports

March 1st, 2018 by admin

NEW YORK (AP) — Duncan Robinson made Michigan’s only field goal in overtime, a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:15 left, and the 15th-ranked Wolverines survived foul trouble and poor shooting to beat Iowa 77-71 on Thursday to advance to the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

The fifth-seeded Wolverines (25-7) face fourth-seeded Nebraska on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

Michigan was 3 for 19 from 3-point range and Robinson made all of them. His OT 3 put Michigan up 72-70, and the Wolverines made just enough free throws to hold off the Hawkeyes (14-19), who got a basket from Luka Garza on their first overtime possession and not another one.

Michigan was 18 for 32 from the free-throw line, but Robinson made two with 10 seconds left to make it 76-71.

Jordan Bohannon made a 3 off the dribble with 16.3 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 67 for Iowa, which trailed for much of the second half.

Michigan’s leading scorers, Moe Wagner and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, were both saddled with foul trouble. Wagner fouled out with 4:37 left, having played only 15 minutes and scoring 11 points. Abdur-Rahkman fouled out with 2:34 left in overtime, having scored nine points in 22 minutes. The scoring burden Thursday fell to Charles Matthews, who led the Wolverines with 16 points.

Tyler Cook and Luka Garza scored 13 points apiece for Iowa.

The Wolverines trailed 40-35 at halftime and had allowed the Hawkeyes to shoot 55 percent from the field.

Michigan managed to regain the lead early in the second half, but the Wolverines did not make a 3 until 9:30 was left in the second half and that kept them from pulling away.

Wagner picked up his fourth foul with 9:52 left — a call that stoked the ire of the many Michigan fans at the Garden — on what turned out to be a three-point play for Ryan Kriener. That cut Michigan’s lead to 53-51. Finally, Robinson found the range from deep. First, the senior dropped in a 3 from the right corner, holding the follow-through for a beat, to make the score 56-51. Michigan had missed its first 12 3-point attempts.

On Michigan’s next possession, Robinson swished a 3 from up top with 7:45 left to push the lead to eight.

Michigan is 11-0 in its opening Big Ten tournament games under coach John Beilein.

UP NEXT

Iowa: On to next season for the Hawkeyes.

Michigan: The Wolverines lost their only meeting with Nebraska this season, 72-52 in Lincoln.