Field Level Media
Dec 6, 2019
Six Michigan players scored in double figures Friday night, leading the fourth-ranked Wolverines to a 103-91 win over Iowa in the Big Ten opener for both teams in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michigan (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) overcame a career-high 44 points from Iowa junior center Luka Garza by getting contributions from a variety of sources.
Freshman Franz Wagner scored 18 points, seniors Jon Teske and Zavier Simpson each had 16 points, junior Isaiah Livers scored 14 points, junior Eli Brooks had 13 points, and sophomore Brandon Johns provided 12 points off of the bench for Michigan.
The Wolverines bounced back after taking their first loss of the season Tuesday at No. 1 Louisville in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Garza scored his points on 17-of-32 shooting from the field and 10-of-13 shooting from the free-throw line. He posted the third-highest scoring game in Iowa history and the top point total ever by a Michigan opponent at Crisler Center.
Michigan led 50-38 at halftime and maintained a steady lead in the second half, answering runs made by Iowa (6-3, 0-1).
The Wolverines took a 62-49 edge with 15:14 left in the game, but Iowa closed within 64-56 with 13:19 remaining.
Michigan responded, building its lead back up to 74-61 with 11:35 left.
Iowa surged again, cutting Michigan's advantage to 78-71 with 7:40 left, but the Wolverines again had a response, going up 82-71 on back-to-back dunks by Austin Davis.
Michigan never saw the lead dip under double digits the rest of the game and eclipsed the 100-point barrier for the second time this year.
Iowa held a 12-10 lead early, but Michigan went on an 11-1 run to take a 21-13 edge with 12:37 left in the first half on a Simpson 3-pointer.
The Wolverines then ended the first half on a 7-0 run over the last 2:55 to take a 12-point margin into halftime.
--Field Level Media