No. 16 Michigan 79, Nebraska 50: Glenn Robinson III matched a career high with 23 points while Zak Irvin scored all 16 of his points during a first-half scoring explosion as the host Wolverines routed the Cornhuskers.
Caris LeVert added 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Michigan (17-5, 9-1 Big Ten), which rebounded from its first conference loss of the season at Indiana on Sunday with a 13-of-31 effort beyond the arc. Leading scorer Nik Stauskas was limited to nine points – his second straight game with fewer than 10 – but handed out a career-high eight assists.
Shavon Shields had 13 points to pace Nebraska (11-10, 3-6), which saw its first two-game conference winning streak in three seasons as a member of the Big Ten halted. Nathan Hawkins scored all 11 of his points in the final 8 ½ minutes while Walter Pitchford finished with 10 to round out the Cornhuskers who finished in double figures.
Unlike the first meeting between the schools on Jan. 9 when Michigan escaped Nebraska with a one-point road victory, the Wolverines led wire-to-wire and put the Cornhuskers away early. LeVert drained consecutive 3-pointers as Michigan hit four of its first six attempts beyond the arc to build a nine-point edge about six minutes into the contest.
Shields gave Nebraska a brief glimpse of hope with five straight points to trim the deficit to four, but Irvin nailed four 3-pointers and erupted for 16 points during a 29-3 surge as the Wolverines led 45-15 with 3:01 left in the first half. Robinson drilled a pair of 3-pointers early in the second half to continue the long-range assault as the lead swelled to 41 midway through the second half.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Michigan knocked down at least 10 3-pointers for the sixth time and is undefeated in eight games when it hits at least nine. … Nebraska F Terran Petteway, who entered Wednesday as the second-leading scorer in the Big Ten at 18.2 points, went 2-of-10 from the field and finished with five points to end his 17-game streak of scoring in double figures. … The Wolverines, who made all 14 of their free throws, allowed 21 points in the first half – the fewest points they have surrendered in the opening half this season.
Nebraska | Michigan | |
Shavon Shields 13 | Scoring | Glenn Robinson III 23 |
Benny Parker 2 | Assists | Nik Stauskas 8 |
Walter Pitchford 4 | Rebounds | Caris LeVert 7 |
Nathan Hawkins 2 | Free Throws Made | Nik Stauskas 6 |
Nathan Hawkins 2 | Steals | Glenn Robinson III 2 |
Terran Petteway 1 | Blocks | Jon Horford 1 |