Michigan basketball fumbles it away in 73-71 loss to Minnesota
Michigan basketball didn't exactly ring in the new year with a joyful noise.
In their first action of 2024, the Wolverines blew a four-point halftime lead and lost to Minnesota, 73-71, on Thursday at Crisler Center. The loss dropped Michigan to 2-14 in one-possession games under head coach Juwan Howard.
The Wolverines were desperate to resume Big Ten play with a victory following an embarrassing 11-point loss at hoe to McNeese State last time out. Instead Michigan — which led for more than half the game — never got its lead beyond seven points, peaking at 47-40 a little less than 5 minutes into the second half.
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The Golden Gophers then ripped off a 29-15 run over the next 11 minutes of the final half, building their own seven-point lead. But the Wolverines weren't done, getting within two with 1:03 to play on a Terrance Williams II 3-pointer that snapped a 5:01 drought without a field goal.
After the teams traded scores, U-M had the ball, down two with 25 seconds to play; Elijah Hawkins missed the front end of a one-and-one, opening the door for a Wolverines comeback. Olivier Nkamhoua had an open look at a 3-pointer but missed it; the Wolverines got one more look when the ball went out of bounds off the Gophers with 10.2 seconds to play.
Then it was time for Dug McDaniel, who tried a scooping hook in the closing seconds. It bounced off the rim and Minnesota's Dawson Garcia pulled down the rebound to end the rally.
Despite the loss, the Wolverines got the balanced scoring they've said they're aiming for: Nimari Burnett had a team-high 17 points, Olivier Nkamhoua had 16 points and eight rebounds, Tarris Reed Jr. recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds and McDaniel did a bit of everything — nine points, six rebounds and six assists.
Michigan also slowed down a Minnesota bench that entered the game No. 1 in the Big Ten in scoring; a shorthanded U-M reserve squad only lost that battle to the Gophers, 14-8.
Minnesota also entered No. 5 in the nation in assists (20.2 per game); U-M held them to 17. Michigan also won the rebounding battle (35-34) and made more free throws (17-5), but made just one of its final eight field goals.
Closing it out
The lead changed hands eight times and the game was tied seven times in a back-and-forth first half that saw U-M bring a four-point lead into the break.
The Wolverines' lead had reached seven points with 15:25 remaining before Minnesota ripped off a 7-0 run in 1:15 to tie the game at 47.
Michigan's lead was 50-49 when McDaniel corralled a loose ball and threw a half-court alley-oop to Tray Jackson. The two tried the same thing on the next play only for Jackson to be fouled; he split the pair to put U-M up 53-49.
Minnesota respond with its second 7-0 run of the half — Garcia sandwiched a 3-pointer and a basket in the paint around a Braeden Carrington bucket to make it a 56-53 Gopher lead — only for McDaniel to hit consecutive floaters as Michigan reclaimed a one-point lead.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball fumbles it away in 73-71 loss to Minnesota
