Michigan basketball 65, Tarleton State 54: Full recap, box score
Michigan basketball moved to 4-2 on the season with a 65-54 win over Tarleton State on Wednesday in Ann Arbor. The Texans came to town and pestered the Wolverines, but the home team held them off for a much-needed victory.
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Senior guard Eli Brooks led Michigan in scoring with 15 points, while freshman forward Caleb Houstan recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman big man Moussa Diabate had 14 points and seven rebounds.
Here’s the full recap of what happened Wednesday night in Ann Arbor.
First Half
Tarleton State got the scoring going with four quick points from Shamir Bogues before a quick 7-0 run from Michigan. Brooks hit on a three-pointer and layup in that stretch, while Brandon Johns Jr. got on the board with a dunk of his own. The Texans would have a 9-7 lead at the under-16 timeout in the first half.
Houstan recorded his first basket of the night on a long-two at the 15:12 mark to tie the game at 9-9. Tarleton responded with a three-pointer, but the Wolverines busted out another 7-0 run on a Houstan three, a layup from Collins and a pair of free throws from Terrance Williams II. Michigan held a 16-12 lead at the 9:44 mark of the first half.
Both Michigan and Tarleton would continue to slug it out down the stretch. The Wolverines lead was cut down to 21-20 at the 5:16 mark. However, the offense exploded for a 10-0 run thanks to a threes from Collins and Brooks, a Moussa Diabate layup and Hunter Dickinson jumper from the top of the key. A Tarleton State jumper with 2:27 to go trimmed Michigan’s lead to 31-22, which is where it would stand at the end of the half.
Turnovers plagued Michigan throughout the first half with 11 despite shooting 12-for-16 from the floor.
Collins was given an extended run in the first half after DeVante’ Jones picked up another two quick fouls. The ball movement and energy improved and helped the Wolverines go into the locker room with a nine-point lead.
Second Half
The Texans grabbed the first basket of the second half, but Michigan went on a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 40-24 at the 17:21 mark of the second quarter. They would lead 40-27 at the under-16 timeout.
The Texans kept fighting, however. They were able to get the lead back down to nine points at 41-32 at 14:47 left in the game and again at 14:07. A pair of free throws from Houstan and a jumper from Diabate extended the lead to 47-34 with 13:20 to go. Tarleton went on a 4-0 run after that to get the lead back down to 9 in favor of Michigan.
Houstan stopped it with a three-pointer, which put the Wolverines up 50-38 with just over 10 minutes to play. Tarleton punched right back to have the score within 9 again at 52-43 at the under-8 media timeout.
Tarleton kept chipping and fighting, refusing to back down. They were able to trim the score down to three with 6:06 remaining to trim Michigan’s lead to 52-49. Michigan extended its lead back to six with three Dickinson free throws, but Tarleton hit another three-pointer at the other end of the floor. The Wolverines led 55-52 at the under-4 timeout.
Michigan was able to hold off the charge and extend its lead back to double digits at 65-54 after a pair of Houstan free throws with 1:08 to go.
Final: Michigan 65, Tarleton State 54
Next up for Michigan basketball is a trip to North Carolina for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. ET from Chapel Hill.
Michigan basketball box score
