Michigan stymies Garza, Iowa for another impressive win
Michigan #Michigan
Iowa went to Luka Garza, on its first possession Thursday night. His multiple attempts to shake or move Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson in the paint were unsuccessful, and Dickinson got a piece of the shot.
Dickinson, a freshman, didn’t back down against the senior superstar, and Michigan pulled away in the second half for a second straight top-10 win, 79-57 at Crisler Center.
Franz Wagner led all players with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Isaiah Livers added 16, going 4-of-5 from 3. The Wolverines shot 8-for-17 (47 percent) from deep.
Michigan improved to 17-1 (12-1 in the Big Ten). The third-ranked Wolverines dominated with defense. Iowa, the best offense in the country, shot just 36 percent and had only four assists. Garza entered the night averaging 24.7 points per game, tops in the nation. He’s Iowa’s all-time leading scorer. On Thursday, he shot just 6-of-19. That was also Iowa’s mark from 3.
The Hawkeyes led by a point early in the second half but Michigan outscored them 43-20 over the final 17:08.
Iowa, ranked ninth in the country, fell to 17-7 (11-6).
Wagner scored nine of Michigan’s first 11 points after halftime as U-M took a 43-37 lead. Eli Brooks’ 3 with 14:18 left pushed it 48-39 and prompted Fran McCaffery to call timeout.
Dickinson picked up his third foul 2.5 minutes into the second half. When he returned about three minutes later, he got a stop on Garza, then scored at the other end as Michigan went up by 11. Dickinson finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
A 9-0 Michigan run made it 62-46, and the home team kept extending its lead. A pair of free throws from Livers after McCaffery was hit with a technical made it 68-50. Livers’ fourth 3 pushed the lead to 19.
The first half was choppy, partly thanks to four replay reviews. Dickinson sat for nearly minutes after picking up his first foul. Michigan started the game 9-for-29 from the field. Wagner’s corner 3 — off a feed from a double-teamed Dickinson — made it 26-25 Michigan.
Austin Davis’ tip-in at the buzzer gave Michigan a 32-29 halftime edge. The Wolverines grabbed 10 offensive rebounds in the first half. Garza’s stat line: an unimpressive 3-for-11 from the field and no rebounds.
Michigan visits Indiana on Saturday for a noon tip.
Michigan guard Franz Wagner (21) and Iowa center Luka Garza (55) wrestle for the ball in the first half of their Big Ten basketball game at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, on Thursday, February 25, 2021.
© Mike Mulholland | mmulholl@mlive.com/Mike Mulholland | MLive.com/mlive.com/TNS