 Gallegos |  Hawkins |  Petteway |
Ann Arbor, Mich. — Nebraska ran into a hot-shooting Michigan team as the 10th-ranked Wolverines topped the Huskers, 79-50 in Crisler Center Wednesday evening.
Michigan (17-5, 9-1 Big Ten) hit 13 3-pointers, including nine in the first half, as the Wolverines put the game away early and snapped Nebraska's two-game win streak.
Glenn Robinson III paced the Wolverines in double figures with 23 points, while freshman Zak Irvin added 16 points and Caris LeVert had 16 each, as Irvin came off the bench to score all 16 of his points before the break.
Michigan blitzed the Huskers in the opening 20 minutes, shooting 63 percent from the field, including 9-of-17 from 3-point range to build a commanding 49-21 halftime lead. Michigan shot 50 percent on the night and also went a perfect 14 of 14 from the foul line.
The Huskers return to action Saturday afternoon, when Nebraska travels to Northwestern. Tipoff is at Noon (CT).
The match will air live on ESPNU and on the Husker Sports Radio Network.
Michigan got off to a quick start, outscoring the Huskers, 13-3 in the first three and a half minutes before the Huskers regained their footing. NU cut the lead to 16-7 after baskets from Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields and continued to battle, as Shields scored five straight points to pull within 16-12.
Unfortunately for the Huskers, that would be as close as Nebraska would get in the first half, as Irvin took over for the Wolverines. The freshman, who averaged just 6.5 points per game, sparked a 9-0 run with a pair of baskets, as Michigan built a 25-12 lead after a Robinson jumper.
Trailing 30-15, Michigan put the game out of reach with a 15-0 run, as Irvin scored 11 points in the run, including three straight 3-pointers, as he went 4-of-7 from long range in the first half.
While the Wolverines were knocking down shots, the Huskers struggled from the field, shooting 32 percent, including 2-of-12 from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes.
Michigan continued to pull away in the second half, while the only bright spot for the Huskers was freshman Nathan Hawkins, who had all 11 of his points in the second half. Shields led NU with 13 points, while Walter Pitchford added 10 as Nebraska was held to 35.2 percent shooting and were held to a season-low 49 points.
Notes:
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1st 2nd Total
Michigan (10) 26 31 57
Nebraska 33 47 80
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