Sparked by newfound confidence, Michigan downs Purdue in Big Ten quarters
Coming off a horrific three-game losing skid to end the regular season, Michigan ignited a complete turnaround at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. The Wolverines played as inspired basketball as they have in weeks, knocking off No. 6 seed Purdue, 86-68 in the Big Ten quarterfinals.
Purdue jumped out to a fast start, scoring the first six points of the game. In the early minutes, it appeared as if the Wolverines would just lay down and lose their fourth consecutive game.
But after Purdue's quick 6-0 run to open the game, Michigan put together a 10-0 run of its own to claim a four-point lead over the Boilermakers. Led by guards Nimari Burnett and Rubin Jones, Michigan reclaimed momentum after Purdue seized it early.
Guard play has been a major point of emphasis for the Wolverines as of late. Big men Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf have been the only scoring threats offensively for the Wolverines in the past few games, but the guards stepped up in Indianapolis when they were called upon.
After Michigan claimed a 10-6 lead, it never gave the advantage back to the Boilermakers. A team-wide effort, sparked by solid guard play from Donaldson, Burnett, Jones and even Gayle Jr., helped Michigan to a four-point halftime lead.
At halftime, Wolf led Michigan in scoring with nine points, but five Wolverines had five or more points in the first 20 minutes, which was a welcomed sight for U-M fans.
In the second half, Michigan never faltered. Purdue never came closer than six points in the second half, as the Wolverines showcased their strength across the board.
Donaldson and Goldin each scored 10 points in the second half, and Wolf and Gayle Jr. each added nine and eight second-half points, respectively.
Michigan finished the game with four double-digit scorers: Wolf, Donaldson, Goldin and Gayle, with Jones and Will Tschetter each adding eight.
Notably, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith combined for 36 of Purdue's 68 points in the game. While Kaufman-Renn was a load in the paint, Michigan did a fabulous job of making him inefficient with 24 points on 24 shots from the field.
With the impressive victory, Michigan advances to the tournament semifinals to take on No. 2 seed Maryland on Saturday afternoon. CBS will have live coverage of Saturday's semifinal between the Wolverines and Terrapins at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET.
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