With a lot of defense and a lot of help from unlikely sources, Michigan did a little growing up last night.
The Wolverines, who got a strong all-around showing from Jerod Ward and a pair of timely 3-pointers from Robbie Reid, shook off a "nonchalant" performance and a pesky Northwestern team last night to win, 74-67, in front of 12,173 fans at Crisler Arena.
Michigan trailed by as many as 12 in the second half, but held the Wildcats to just 33 points after halftime and clinched the victory by making 7 of 8 free throws in the game's final 2:22.
"Northwestern played an excellent game," Ward said. "But we just kept fighting and fighting and fighting, and we did what we had to do. It's a great victory for us."
Michigan trailed for most of the evening, and used an 18-4 run to turn a 52-40 deficit into a 58-56 lead with 4:15 remaining. The spurt was highlighted by Reid's bombs from beyond the arc, and the play that finally gave the Wolverines the lead was an emphatic dunk by Ward off a nifty interior wraparound pass by Robert Traylor.
But the Wildcats refused to fold, even when Big Ten scoring leader Evan Eschmeyer, who scored 15 points but managed just one field goal after halftime, fouled out with 1:31 remaining. It was one of the few times during the game when the crowd was on its feet, and Eschmeyer departed to a Yost-like "See Ya!"
Northwestern freshman Shawn Wink, who Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe referred to as "money," hit three jumpers in a span of two minutes and almost single-handedly kept his team afloat. But two straight three-point plays by Maceo Baston and a host of free throws secured the victory for Michigan.
"I think talent might have taken over," Northwestern coach Kevin O'Neill said about the game's conclusion. "They're probably a better team than we are right now, but we had a chance to win the game. We're very disappointed."
Ward's contribution was a welcome one for the Wolverines, who got just 10 points - on 2-for-10 shooting - from Traylor. Northwestern double-teamed Traylor for much of the evening, and with Baston in his usual foul trouble (he picked up his fourth with 6:50 remaining), the Wolverines were looking for someone to step up.
Ward made seven of his 10 shots from the field en route to 19 points, but more impressive were his other stats - 8 rebounds and 4 steals against just one turnover.
"The guy's starting to mature as a player," O'Neill said about Ward. "I think he's a very valuable piece of their team. He hurt us tonight by being aggressive, and he's just a good player."
Michigan started the game trapping the inbound pass after made baskets, and jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the opening five minutes. But by the second television timeout, with 11:42 until halftime, the Wildcats had narrowed the gap to a single point.
Eschmeyer used his 6-foot-11 frame to tally 10 points and four assists by the half, and with no Michigan player in double digits, the Wolverines went into the lockerroom down 34-27.
The Wildcats started the second half by pushing their lead to 11 points. When Michigan closed to within six at 46-40, a goaltending call on Baston and an offensive foul on Traylor led to a Nate Pomeday 3-pointer and eventually landed Michigan in a 12-point deficit.
"I thought we could have done some things better, but Northwestern really just played a very good game," Ellerbe said. "They took us right down to the wire. I'm just glad we came out with a win."
02-06-98
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