Field Level Media
Jan 19, 2021
Isaiah Livers scored 20 points and led a 3-point barrage and Michigan bounced back from its first loss of the season with a resounding 87-63 victory over Maryland in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Tuesday.
Franz Wagner supplied 15 points, six rebounds and three assists for No. 7 Michigan (12-1, 7-1 Big Ten), which regained sole possession of first place in the conference after losing by 18 to Minnesota on Saturday.
Mike Smith contributed 11 points and six assists, Brandon Johns Jr. also scored 11 points and Austin Davis had nine in the Wolverines' second win over the Terrapins this season.
Donta Scott had 13 points for Maryland (8-7, 2-6). Eric Ayala tossed in 12 points, Aaron Wiggins added 11 and Jairus Hamilton chipped in 10.
The Wolverines won the first meeting 84-73 on New Year's Eve and never trailed in the rematch. They hit half of their 24 3-point attempts and shot 51.8 percent from the field. Livers connected on all but one of his five 3-point attempts.
Michigan relied on its perimeter shooting to open up a 42-25 halftime lead. Smith and Wagner combined for 20 points.
The Wolverines scored the first eight points of the game, including a pair of 3-pointers from Smith. Michigan's 3-point flurry continued through the first six minutes, as Smith drained another and Livers knocked down a couple to make the score 17-3.
A 3-pointer by Johns Jr. gave the Wolverines their biggest lead until the final seconds of the half at 22-7. The Terrapins pulled within nine at one point but Michigan scored the final five points, including a 3-pointer by Wagner.
Eli Brooks stretched the Wolverines' advantage to 20 with another long ball 11 seconds into the second half.
Livers made four free throws after Darryl Morsell and Terrapins coach Mark Turgeon were assessed technicals. Morsell was upset after a Wolverines player inadvertently contacted him in the face. That increased Michigan's lead to 22, 55-33, just 3:38 into the half.
The advantage fluctuated between 18 and 23 points until a Wagner layup with 5:22 remaining made it 80-56.
--Field Level Media