WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Despite a career-high 26 points from senior Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, the 25th-ranked University of Michigan men’s basketball team’s comeback fell just short in a 92-88 setback to No. 3 Purdue on Thursday night (Jan. 25) at Mackey Arena.
Abdur-Rahkman finished the game shooting 10-of-15 from the field, including 6-of-9 from three-point range, marking a new career best in triples. The senior captain got hot in the second half, scoring 19 of his 26 points in the final 20 minutes. Sophomore Zavier Simpson matched his career high with 16 points, while junior Moritz Wagner (15) and junior Charles Matthews (10) also scored in double figures.
Both teams shot 60 percent or better from the field with the Wolverines hitting 60 percent (35-for-58) of their attempts and the Boilermakers shooting 62 percent (31-for-50). The shooting performance ties U-M’s second-best of the season and is third time this season Michigan has shot 60 percent or better (first in Big Ten play).
For Purdue, Vincent Edwards (30) and Isaac Haas (24) combined to score 54 of its 92 points.
Overall, there were 24 lead changes and five ties. The Wolverines outrebounded the Boilermakers, 25-21, with a 9-5 edge in offensive rebounds; U-M also scored 19 of its points on second chances, compared to just five second-chance points from Purdue.
With Michigan trailing, 47-40, early in the second half, Wagner used a layup and a three pointer to ignite a 10-2 Wolverine run that ended on a Matthews dunk at 16:03 and put Michigan ahead, 50-49. The lead changed hands several times over the next five minutes and two key triples from Abdur-Rahkman put Michigan ahead, 68-65, with 9:38 to go.
Purdue’s Vincent Edwards then scored seven straight points as part of a 9-0 Boilermaker run that put them up, 74-68, with 7:23 remaining in the game. A layup from fifth-year senior Duncan Robinson slowed Purdue’s momentum, but PU came right back with a quick 6-0 run over less than a minute to push its lead to nine, 79-70, at the 5:38 mark.
Wagner’s play on both ends of the floor helped the Wolverines trim their deficit, as he hit a three, drew a charge on the defensive end and then took his man off the dribble and converted a contested layup to make it 79-75, Purdue, with 4:03 left.
Both teams then hit a scoring drought, as 2:05 ticked off the clock before a dunk from Haas gave Purdue an 81-75 advantage at the 1:58 mark. The Boilermakers went 11-for-12 from the free-throw line over the final 1:17 of the game to stave off Michigan’s comeback efforts. A baseline jumper from Matthews on an inbounds play with 45 seconds remaining brought U-M within four, 83-79, and Simpson had six of his 16 points over the final 11 seconds of the game, but it was not enough to overcome the nation’s third-ranked team.
Four different Wolverines hit threes in the first 10-and-a-half minutes of the game and there were 10 lead changes over the first 13 minutes of play. Michigan trailed by just two, 24-22, with 8:24 remaining in the first half before Purdue used a 7-0 run to take a 31-22 lead and force Michigan to call timeout at 5:09. Simpson had eight of his points in the last 4:33 of the first half, and sophomore Jon Teske added four timely points off the bench to make it a five-point game at the half, 41-36, Purdue.
Michigan will return home to host Northwestern on Monday (Jan. 29) inside Crisler Center. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1.
Release By mgoblue.com