University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Michigan
Minnesota Falls to No. 18 Michigan, 61-56
1/1/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 1, 2012
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Minnesota's challenge to start Big Ten play was to go on the road for games at Illinois and Michigan, both of which have been ranked among the Top 25 this season.
On Tuesday, the Gophers took the Illini to double overtime before losing, 81-72. Sunday afternoon, the Gophers almost knocked off nationally-ranked Michigan. Instead, Minnesota finds itself 0-2 in the Big Ten after a 61-56 loss versus the #16/18 Wolverines.
Rodney Williams and Julian Welch each scored 11 points, and the Gophers rallied from a seven-point deficit with 7:33 remaining, but Michigan freshman Trey Burke, Ohio's Mr. Basketball last season, torched the nets for 27 points to help the Wolverines escape with a win on an afternoon when Tim Hardaway Jr. went 2-for-14 and finished with just seven points.
The Gophers (12-3) jumped out to a 6-0 lead, getting a trey from Austin Hollins to open the scoring and a three-point play from Williams. Minnesota held the Wolverines scoreless for the first 3:32 before Hardaway made a free throw to get Michigan on the board.
Michigan went on a 5-0 run to tie the score at 6-6 before a three-pointer by Maverick Ahanmisi put the Gophers back up by three, 9-6.
But the Wolverines responded with a 13-2 run, with Burke accounting for eight of the points, to help Michigan take a 19-11 lead as Minnesota went ice cold from the field. The Gophers made just 1-of-11 field goals during the stretch.
Elliot Eliason finally scored with 4:03 left in the half to break a scoreless streak of 7:09 for the Gophers, and Williams added a baseline jumper to pull Minnesota back within 19-15.
Michigan pushed its advantage back to eight points, getting a three-pointer from Zack Novak just before the shot clock expired and a free throw by Jordan Morgan to make it 23-15.
But the Gophers closed the first half with a jumper from Williams and a reverse layup by Chip Armelin to cut the deficit to 23-19 at the break.
Williams led the Gophers with seven first-half points, but Minnesota made just 8-of-26 field goals
Burke opened the second half with five quick points for Michigan, but Ralph Sampson III scored on Minnesota's first two possessions and Austin Hollins made a trifecta to get the Gophers within two points, 28-26.
Minnesota started to knock down long-range shots to stay close, as the scoring pace picked up. Welch made a trey to cut Michigan's lead to 30-29, and Ahanmisi added another three-pointer to make it 33-32.
Sampson played well at both ends of the floor, making a jumper to keep the Gophers within one point at 35-34, and grabbing rebounds at the defensive end of the court. Sampson would finish the game with a team-high 10 rebounds.
A free throw by Williams tied the score at 35-35 with 12:30 remaining, but Michigan got a five-point possession, as Stu Douglass made an NBA-range three and a foul was called inside on the Gophers. Novak then scored on a driving layup for a 40-35 edge.
Another three-pointer by Douglass made it an 8-1 run for Michigan to stretch the lead back to 43-36. Oto Osenieks scored on a pair of baskets in the lane to keep the Gophers close, but Burke and the Wolverines still led 49-42 with 7:33 remaining.
That's when Minnesota began its closing run. Armelin scored on a layup, and added a three from the top of the key to pull Minnesota within four points, 51-47. And a three-point play by Williams cut the deficit to 53-50 with just over four minutes remaining.
With the Gophers trailing by five, 55-50, Welch knocked down a trey from in front of the Gophers' bench to cut it to two points. After Michigan made two free throws to stretch the advantage back to four points, Welch hit another clutch three-pointer with a defender in his face to cut the Wolverines' lead to 57-56 with 2:08 left.
Minnesota had a chance to take the lead with just over one minute left, but a three-point attempt by Ahanmisi as the shot clock wound down was off the mark. Hardaway then made just his second field goal of the game to give Michigan a three-point lead, and Williams missed a potential tying trey with 10 seconds left.
Minnesota shot 59.1 percent in the second half, including 6-of-13 from beyond the arc, but Burke made 8-of-11 field goals and was 9-of-11 at the free throw line to help the Wolverines improve to 12-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
The Gophers return home to play host to Iowa on Wednesday. Tipoff from Williams Arena is set for 8:00 p.m., and the game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
--By Michael Molde, GopherSports.com
