Dusty May and the Michigan Wolverines have claimed first place in the Big Ten standings following a tight 75-73 victory over Purdue at Crisler Center on Tuesday night. Here’s how it all went down:
The Michigan Wolverines pulled off a fifth straight win, taking down the Purdue Boilermakers, 75-73, to take over first place in the Big Ten standings. Michigan came back from a double-digit deficit to improve to 19-5 and 11-2 in Big Ten play.
Despite trailing for nearly 35 minutes of game time, the Wolverines were able to forge ahead in the final minutes and secure a 12th straight win at home. Danny Wolf finished with a team-high 15 points and nine rebounds.
Roddy Gayle Jr. bounced back from his recent slump with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Tre Donaldson and Vlad Goldin added 12 points each. Rubin Jones scored just six points but came up with several clutch plays down the stretch.
DOWN GOES NO. 7 ‼️#B1GMBBall x @umichbball pic.twitter.com/1STUQyNxr3
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 12, 2025
FIRST HALF
Purdue jumped out to a 7-0 lead as Braden Smith scored five points in the opening stages. Donaldson got the Wolverines on the scoreboard with a floater before scoring nine points in the first six minutes to cut into the early deficit.
Michigan continued to seize momentum as Donaldson drilled a three-pointer, followed by Gayle finding Jones for a fast-break dunk. On the following possession, Wolf finished a put-back layup to give the Wolverines their first lead, 15-14.
The Boilermakers quickly responded and eventually built a double-digit lead midway through the first half, but Michigan continued to fight back as Wolf knocked down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 37-33 with just a minute to go in the half.
Smith was seemingly unstoppable for most of the half, scoring 14 points to help Purdue hold a 37-35 lead at halftime. The Wolverines committed eight turnovers, but finished the half on a 9-0 run to stay within reach.
THE DAGGER!
Rubin Jones shuts the door on Purdue and the Wolverines protect home court! #B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/Wr9asGjCvg
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 12, 2025
SECOND HALF
Purdue started the second half just as it did the first half, making four straight shots to build the lead back up to double digits, 48-38. Michigan’s offense went freezing cold in the first eight minutes of the half, shooting an abysmal 2-of-14 from the field.
It appeared the Boilermakers might be able to stretch the lead even further, but Michigan kept fighting and eventually trimmed the deficit to 53-50 as Nimari Burnett connected on a three-pointer from the corner with just over eight minutes left.
The Wolverines trailed for more than 30 minutes of game time before Burnett hit a game-tying triple with 6:01 to go. Goldin made a pair of free throws to put Michigan up 59-57, but Purdue answered with a 6-0 run to regain a 63-59 lead.
With less than four minutes left, Jones came up with a steal and took it coast-to-coast for a go-ahead layup, 66-65. Just moments later, Goldin had a huge block and hit two free throws to put the Wolverines up, 70-67.
Jones came through with another clutch play, throwing down a put-back dunk in the final minute to take a 73-67 lead. Following two missed free throws by Wolf, Purdue had a potential game-winning shot, but Smith’s attempt came up empty.
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will try to keep the winning streak going with a showdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday. Ohio State currently sits in a tie for eighth place in the Big Ten with a 14-10 record and a 6-7 clip in conference play.
Following the trip to Columbus this weekend, Michigan is scheduled to host the rival Michigan State Spartans on Friday. Michigan State is 19-4 and 10-2 in the Big Ten, squarely in the conference title hunt alongside Michigan and Purdue.