INDIANAPOLIS – The Michigan basketball team used a hot-shooting second half to erase a seven-point deficit against Oklahoma State and advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Derrick Walton rose to the challenge against Juwan Evans, one of the top point guards in the country. Walton scored 26 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed five rebounds.
Evans scored 23 points, but shot just 10-26. He finished with 12 assists, four turnovers and seven rebounds.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman kept Michigan in the game when Oklahoma State jumped out to a small lead. He finished with 16 points on 6-11 shooting and four assists.
D.J. Wilson played well on both ends, scoring 19 points and pitching in with five rebounds and four blocks.
Senior Zak Irvin made six of 11 shots for 16 points. He hit two of the biggest shots down the stretch for Michigan, a three from the top of the key and an elbow jumper off the dribble.
As a team, the Wolverines made 16 of 29 three-point attempts, which was the difference in the game. Walton made six triples, Irvin made four and Abdur-Rahkman made three.
Duncan Robinson finished with eight points off the bench, but he struggled at the free-throw line, missing twice on the front-end of a 1-and-1. That left the door open for Oklahoma State, which twice cut the lead to two points with under 20 seconds to play.
But with 10 seconds left, Walton nailed a pair of free throws to put Michigan up by four, and with 3.7 seconds left, Wilson converted a pair to seal it.
Evans hit a deep three at the buzzer to pull the final score within one, but the game had already been decided.
Michigan's star center Mo Wagner was a non-factor in the game, picking up two early fouls and watching the majority of the action from the bench. He finished with six points and two rebounds. He didn't play at all down the stretch, as coach John Beilein elected to stick with Wilson and Robinson, with freshman Xavier Simpson making defensive appearances.
The Wolverines will await the winner of No. 2 Louisville and No. 15 Jacksonville State. The winner of that game will battle Michigan on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16.
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