Michigan overcomes Iowa in OT in Big Ten tourney

3/1/2018

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Iowa forward Tyler Cook, second from left, forward Luka Garza, second from right, and forward Nicholas Baer, right, stop Michigan guard Charles Matthews during the second round of the Big Ten conference tournament, Thursday, March 1, 2018, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — 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.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa: It was quite a week for Bohannon. He gained national attention last weekend with a missed free throw that kept him from breaking a school record held by the late Chris Street. Bohannon then scored 25 points against Illinois to lead Iowa to an opening victory on Wednesday in New York. He finished 3 for 14 for 11 points, but his late 3 was the biggest shot of the game for the Hawkeyes.

Michigan: The Wolverines are trying to repeat as Big Ten tournament champions after a memorable run to the title last year that began with the team’s plane crashing during an aborted takeoff from an airport near Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus. No one was seriously hurt, but it as a harrowing experience. Michigan made it to Washington for the tournament and proceeded to rip off four victories as an eight seed to secure an automatic NCAA bid.

These Wolverines are already comfortably in the NCAA field as an at-large.

ONE, NOT DONE

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.