Purdue had nothing to lose and played like it. But in the end, another second-half explosion from Daniel Horton was too much, and the injury-depleted Boilermakers fell just short in their upset bid.
“I remember us being in some games last year where we battled and we came up a little short against some teams where people thought they were going to knock us out,” Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. “We thought (Purdue) was going to be a team that would come in here with the psychological advantage and would just let it all hang out.”
Tight defense down the stretch helped Michigan (1-1 Big Ten, 11-2 overall) hold off upset-minded Purdue 68-65 on Saturday afternoon at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines didn’t score a field goal in the game’s final 3:32, but they held Purdue (0-2, 6-7) to just two points in the game’s last six minutes.
The Boilermakers’ best chance to upend Michigan came with 13 seconds left. With his team trailing 67-65, Purdue coach Matt Painter decided to go for the win. The Boilermakers found a way to get the ball to their hot hand when forward Matt Kiefer – who was 8-for-11 with 21 points at the time – received it at the top of the key. He got the shot off before a charging Courtney Sims could get a hand on it, but the ball found back rim, and sophomore Ron Coleman corralled the rebound before getting fouled.
Coleman made just one free throw, but Purdue guard Korey Spates’s desperation three at the end fell short, giving Michigan its first conference win of the young season.
“We have a lot to work on – we knew that,” Amaker said.
A lot to work on? It’s going to be an interesting week of practice leading up to the Illinois game Saturday.
A season-low 37 percent from the field.
Fifteen turnovers committed, compared to just 13 assists.
All against a team not only picked to finish at the bottom of the BIg Ten, but one which has also lost several key players due to injury and suspensions.
Thank God for Daniel Horton.
“When things get tight, that’s when he buckles down and steps up for us,” Amaker said. “He did that again (Saturday) afternoon. He really gave us a shot in the arm and some momentum.”
The senior stepped up early in the second half when Michigan faced its biggest deficit of the game. Following an assist to senior Graham Brown which cut the Boilermaker lead to four, Horton hit back-to-back 3-pointers. The second trey gave Michigan its first lead in almost 20 minutes and energized an earlier frigid Crisler Arena crowd, which had booed the Wolverines when they went into the lockerroom facing a five-point deficit.
After a 7-0 run from Purdue, Horton once again put the team on his shoulders. He was the beneficiary of a no-look pass from freshman Jerret Smith and was fouled on the shot. The ball was swatted on its way down and goaltending was called. Horton made his free throw and went back to work on the defensive end.
He stole the ball from Purdue guard Chris Lutz, and after passing it to fellow guard Dion Harris, Horton got the ball right back at the top of the key. For the fifth time on the afternoon, Horton drained a 3-pointer.
“When coach made a decision to move me to wing for the game (because of Lester Abram’s injury), he told me that he needed me to score,” Horton said. “I just try to make plays. A lot of times it ends up with me taking shots because of the way people screen for me, but I just try to make plays.”
Horton’s overall playmaking ability was shown late in the game. Following an offensive rebound by junior Courtney Sims where the forward saved the ball to Horton before falling out of bounds, Horton drew a crowd to him when he dribbled toward the center of the lane. He then found a streaking Sims who had charged hard to the basket and emphatically slammed the ball to give Michigan a lead it would never relinquish.
Brown paced the Wolverines on the boards once again. Following just three first-half rebounds, the forward went on a tear in the second half, collecting six offensive rebounds en route to 10 total rebounds for the game. He also scored 11 points, giving him the third double-double of his career.
The Wolverines needed all of Horton’s game-high 24 points. Harris went scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting, and Sims’s dunk was his lone field goal of the afternoon.
On the other end, Purdue got a great all-around game from Kiefer, who finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Spates also scored 17 points in the losing effort.
“We don’t care how we get them, we just want to win,” Horton said.