Wolverines-Golden Gophers: Michigan Hits 13 Three's In Rout of Minnesota

Over the last couple of weeks the Michigan Wolverines (17-10 overall, 7-7 Big Ten) have come very close to having their NCAA tournament bubble burst. They needed overtime to take down Northwestern on the road in a must-win game in Evanston, Ill., on Sunday.

However, they didn’t struggle at all in another must-win game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-7, 7-7) on Thursday night.

The game was close for much of the first 10 minutes, but then the Wolverines went on an 18-4 run over the next six minutes. They took a 30-18 lead they would never relinquish.

Michigan went 8-for-19 from behind the arc in the first half en route to a 40-25 halftime lead. The Wolverines stretched their lead to as many as 25 points in the second half and went on to win the game 74-62.

Michigan freshman Zack Novak led all scorers with 18 points. He hit a career-high six three-point shots. Fellow freshman Stu Douglass added 12 points and four assists.

But, the biggest spark for the Wolverines came off the bench. Sophomore point guard Kelvin Grady, who has seen his playing time diminish, went 3-for-3 from behind the arc and finished with 12 points in just 14 minutes.

The Big Ten’s second leading scorer, Manny Harris, was held to just eight points on 2-for-8 shooting. He only played 22 minutes due to foul trouble. All in all, there were four players in double figures for the Wolverines Thursday night.

Minnesota’s leading scorer, junior guard Lawrence Westbrook, had 12 points and four assists. True freshman guard Devoe Joseph led the Golden Gophers with 14 points.

The Golden Gophers were ranked No. 19 back on Feb. 2, but since then have struggled and lost four of their last five games. Northwestern will roll into Minneapolis on Sunday to take on Minnesota. The Wildcats won the previous meeting between the two teams last month.

Michigan kept its NCAA tournament hopes alive with the blowout victory Thursday night. The Wolverines went through a stretch where they lost seven out of nine games, but they have put it back together and won three of their last five.

The Wolverines will travel to Carver Hawkeye Arena, where they will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes this Sunday. Michigan won the previous meeting of the two teams 64-49 at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines will need to beat the Hawkeyes if they want to keep their tournament hopes alive.

The Golden Gophers and Wolverines will meet again on Mar. 9, the final day of the regular season.

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