Danny Wolf recorded 16 points and 14 rebounds, Vladislav Goldin added 14 points and visiting Michigan fended off Rutgers 66-63 on Saturday in Piscataway, N.J.
Goldin and Wolf combined for 16 of the final 18 points of the game for Michigan (16-5, 8-2 Big Ten). Tre Donaldson added 10 points and six assists as the Wolverines stayed in third place in the Big Ten.
Jamichael Davis had a career-high 20 points and four steals for Rutgers (11-11, 4-7), which has dropped three of the last four. Tyson Acuff added 14 points and Ace Bailey netted 10. Davis and Acuff each drained four 3-pointers.
When Zach Martini rattled home a corner 3 to beat the shot clock, it brought the Scarlet Knights within 46-44 with 7:53 to play. Michigan committed an offensive foul on its next possession and Rutgers seemed ready to take over.
But Wolf, a 7-footer, pulled up from well beyond the arc and made his only 3-pointer of the game with 6:30 to go for a five-point Michigan lead. Goldin and Wolf added layups to make it 55-49, and the Wolverines led by as many as eight down the stretch.
Michigan outshot Rutgers 47.8 percent to 32.8 percent and overcame 17 turnovers. Acuff and Davis made triples in the final six seconds to make the margin more respectable.
Donaldson’s fastbreak layup and 3-pointer helped Michigan establish an early lead, but a pair of 3-pointers by Acuff flipped the score in Rutgers’ favor, 12-10, with 10:49 left in the half.
Davis ripped off seven straight Rutgers points, his floater putting the Scarlet Knights ahead 19-17. After Bailey added his first points of the day on a turnaround jumper, Rutgers missed its next 10 shots from the floor.
Sam Walters and Will Tschetter hit back-to-back 3-pointers to power a 10-0 Michigan run. Bailey gave Rutgers juice with a highlight-reel dunk, but the Wolverines took a 32-25 edge into halftime.
Bailey’s two-handed slam helped cut the deficit to three early in the second half, but Michigan kept a tenuous cushion with responses from Donaldson, Tschetter and Roddy Gayle Jr.
–Field Level Media
