Men's hoops staves off Indiana

Michigan 3-point bombs help diffuse second-half surge by Hoosiers; Fife comes away empty

Michigan 80

Indiana 72

On a night when the Michigan men's basketball team came into a contest with No. 13 Indiana as a heavy underdog, the Wolverines used a bit of last season's success to get the ball rolling last night.

The Wolverines (2-1 Big Ten, 8-8 overall) reminded the 11,495 present at Crisler Arena of last season's success by finally raising their Big Ten championship banner. And taking a cue from that groundbreaking performance, Michigan turned in its best performance of the season by humbling the highly-touted Hoosiers 80-72.

"We can look to this game as a springboard and hopefully gain consistency from it," Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe said.

The contest was characterized by a series of runs from both squads, with Michigan finally putting the nail in Indiana's coffin late in the second half.

But with over eight minutes left in the game, it didn't appear that the Hoosiers (1-2, 14-4) would be able to recover from a seemingly insurmountable Michigan lead - or at least that's what Michigan guard Robbie Reid thought.

Reid knocked down a three from the top of the key that put the Wolverines up by 16 points, making the score 67-51. With the crowd rocking and Michigan rolling, the senior then proceeded to draw his finger across his throat in a gesture that seemed to signify the Hoosiers' end.

That's when things got interesting, as Indiana cut Michigan's lead to four on 12 straight points from five different players.

With the score 67-63, and over five minutes left in the contest, it was time for the Wolverines to make a run of their own, and they responded - but surprisingly, not on the backs of star guards Louis Bullock and Reid.

"We haven't been able to fight off runs," Ellerbe said. "We're going to make some, and our opponents are going to make some. We got more plays out of more guys" tonight.

Forward Josh Asselin led Michigan's second surge, adding five points to close out the game. On the night, the sophomore forward tallied career highs in points and rebounds with 16 and 10, respectively.

Michigan's first big run of the game was spurred by a late first-half run, as Indiana mistakes keyed seven points by the Wolverines with less than a minute left in the half. First, Bullock knocked down a 3-pointer in the corner and was fouled by Indiana guard A.J. Guyton in the process. Bullock hit the proceeding free throw to cut Indiana's lead to four at 39-35.

Following two Luke Recker free throws on the other end, Michigan freshman Leon Jones converted three of his own after he was fouled on a 3-point attempt. This closed the half with Indiana leading 41-38, down from a 39-31 lead only seconds earlier.

With momentum building from its late run, Michigan took charge early in the next period with Brandon Smith helping build a 54-47 Michigan lead with over 12 minutes left. And from there, Bullock took over, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers to set Michigan up before Indiana made its final run.

On the night, Michigan was unable to contain Recker, who added 28 points, but was successful in shutting down Indiana's other high-scorer, Guyton. The senior guard finished the game with eight points.

SARA STILLMAN/Special to the Daily Brandon Smith (left) and Leon Jones celebrate yesterday night after defeating Indiana for their second Big Ten win.

01-06-99