Trotting off the Crisler Arena court at halftime, the Michigan men’s basketball team was at the lowest point of its surprisingly successful young season.

The Wolverines were down 20 points to a team that finished 17-92 in the last four years. They had a goose egg (0-for-8) from beyond the arc, a 1:4 assist-to-turnover ratio, an eight-minute field goal drought and a crowd with nothing to cheer about except the Alumni Band director’s crazy dances.

But Michigan still had 20 minutes to play.

The Wolverines began the second half with an explosive seven-minute, 15-0 run to squeak past a supposedly overmatched Savannah State squad 66-64 in overtime. It was Michigan's first overtime win since it topped Notre Dame in the NIT on March 20, 2006.

And it took every second for the Wolverines to pull out the win. Junior DeShawn Sims hit a wide-open jumpshot as the buzzer sounded to clinch the win.

Including the second it took Sims’s shot to drop, Michigan led Savannah State (4-2 overall) for a measly two minutes and 17 seconds. So, what happened in the first half that allowed the Tigers to take such an enormous lead?

“Man, they hit all those lucky shots," Sims said. "That’s what went on in the first half. That team was good, and they didn’t miss a shot. We couldn’t rebound and run like we wanted because they didn’t miss a shot.”

Senior David Merritt agreed, saying Michigan played pretty sharp defense in the first half. The team wore down the shot clock on several occasions but couldn’t stop Savannah State's players from hitting almost every basket. The Tigers shot over 70 percent from the field, including a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc in the first frame.

Savannah State shot just 33.5 percent after the break.

Although Michigan pulled off the comeback, Beilein was quick to point out that, with a team that’s still learning, ups and downs are to be expected.

“I know they didn't want to deal with the coaching staff after a loss like this,” Beilein said. “I know they will be happier going into practice, but it is what it is now. We have to look at that game and say, ‘We have a lot of areas we have to improve.’ Men's basketball here at U-M, we are growing, we are not the fruit on the tree yet, we are still growing.”

Those growing pains were never more apparent than in the last five seconds of regulation. With the game tied and the Tigers inbounding a pass, freshman Zack Novak intercepted the ball, took it to the rim and went up for an emphatic, game-winning slam-dunk.

It would have sent the Crisler crowd, which had grown increasingly excited during the Wolverines’ comeback bid, into a frenzy. It would have been highlighted on SportsCenter's Top-10 plays. It would have been the highlight of Novak’s six-game career.

He missed it, losing control and watching helplessly as the ball clanked off the back of the rim. Time expired.

“I saw (sophomore) Manny (Harris) out ahead,” Novak said, describing the play. “I was looking to pass it to him, but I saw the clock and went to the hoop strong. It was just instinct. … If we lost the game, it would have been worse, but we came back to win and that makes it easier to learn from.”

But Beilein wanted to put the game in perspective — it was, after all, a win against a team that lost to Clemson by more than 30 points. And with Atlantic Coast Conference hotshots Maryland and Duke coming up this week, Michigan has a lot of work to do.

“We have to understand that every game we have to come ready to play and deal with whatever is given to you,” Beilein said. “Obviously, the Maryland and Duke games are at a different level than the Savannah State game, but we can't worry about that -- just one at a time.”