Field Level Media
Jan 2, 2018
Michigan stops Iowa, runs winning streak to six
Zavier Simpson scored a career-high tying 15 points and added seven assists as Michigan extended its winning streak to six games with a 75-68 road victory over Iowa on Tuesday.
The sophomore reserve guard shot 6 of 9 from the field. Wolverines senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman supplied 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Freshman Isaiah Livers scored a career-high 13 points, the first time he has reached double digits. Charles Matthews contributed 14 points and seven rebounds for Michigan (3-3 overall, 2-1 Big Ten).
Tyler Cook's 28 points and eight rebounds led the Hawkeyes (9-7, 0-3), who saw their five-game winning streak snapped. Jordan Bohannon tossed in 12 points.
Michigan shot 49.1 percent from the field and connected on 44 percent of its 3-point tries. Iowa shot 48.1 percent and 40 percent from long range but were hindered by 13 turnovers.
Iowa, which trailed by 16 late in the first half, cut Michigan's advantage to seven early in the second. The Wolverines responded with an 11-2 run, capped by an Abdur-Rahkman layup. The Hawkeyes crept back with an 11-3 spurt that Cook finished off with a dunk and layup, cut Michigan's lead to 62-54.
That was as close as the Hawkeyes would get as Abdur-Rahkman took the game over, scoring seven points in less than a minute as part of a 9-0 Michigan run. Iowa scored the next eight points but it was too late.
The Wolverines controlled the first half.
Michigan used a 25-6 outburst to gain a 32-16 lead. Simpson led the way with nine points and two assists during that stretch, while Abdur-Rahkman had six points and three assists. Robinson finished it off with a 3-pointer off a Simpson pass.
Matthews' uncontested dunk gave the Wolverines a 17-pont advantage, 44-27, with 3:36 left in the half. Michigan established its biggest lead of the half at 48-30 on Simpson's driving layup. Iowa scored the last six points of the half to make it 48-36.