8A — Friday, November 18, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEW YORK CITY — Just over
three minutes into the opening
half of the Michigan men’s
basketball
team’s
2K
Classic
game
against
Marquette,
Derrick
Walton Jr. picked up his second
foul. It was part of a string of
uncharacteristic errors made by
the senior guard that forced him
to spend a majority of the first
half on the bench.
Behind
Walton,
the
Wolverines
had
overcome
a pair of first-half deficits
against Howard and IUPUI last
weekend. But when it became
a reality Walton wouldn’t have
that same impact against the
Golden Eagles on Friday, the
rest of the team did more than
its part to make sure the senior’s
absence wasn’t felt.
After
being
tied
15-15,
the
Wolverines
completely
overwhelmed
Marquette
for
the remaining 13 minutes of the
first half, outscoring the Golden
Eagles by 24 in that stretch en
route to a 79-61 win.
With freshman guard Xavier
Simpson
and
junior
guard
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman
leading
Michigan’s
backcourt,
the Wolverines built up their
advantage
without
Walton
heading into the second half.
“We have a next man up
mentality,” said senior guard
Zak Irvin. “I think that showed.
We knew it was going to be
tough once Derrick went out
with two fouls. But I love that
(Xavier) came on — you know,
kind of first road game, neutral
game whatever you want to
call it. We didn’t miss a beat.
We kept it going forward, and I
think that was huge for us.”
Abdur-Rahkman
was
aggressive driving to the basket
all night, scoring 15 points and
going a perfect 7-for-7 from the
free throw line. His scoring
took the pressure off Simpson,
who was forced to play more
than he previously had in his
college career.
If
anyone
embodied
the
efficiency Michigan displayed
all night, it was Irvin. The senior
ended up leading all scorers with
16 points. His 5-for-9 shooting
fell just above the Wolverines’
51 percent conversion from the
field Thursday. Irvin’s offensive
consistency, combined with seven
rebounds and five assists, was
exactly what Michigan expects
out of its seasoned veteran. Irvin’s
teammates followed his suit, and
that powered the Wolverines all
night.
“I think we all came out
pretty amped up,” Irvin said.
“Obviously
playing
in
the
Garden is a great experience
for all of us, and we knew it was
going to kind of be like a home
game for us, with all the fans
that travel and come and support
us, so I think that’s what got us
off to the start we had.”
Wilson and senior forward
Mark Donnal built off strong
outings in Michigan’s opening
two games and put together a
pair of complete performances.
After being handed his first
start of his career, Wilson
had
his
third
double-digit
rebounding night in as many
games, grabbing 12 boards.
Donnal,
along
with
sophomore
forward
Moritz
Wagner, outsized the Golden
Eagles at the post. The pair
combined for 24 points and four
rebounds, all while giving the
Wolverines a size advantage
they had been lacking in similar
matchups in years past. Both
bigs also showed off their
perimeter abilities, each making
a shot from behind the arc.
“(Wagner’s) more seasoned.
DJ’s more seasoned. It’s a huge
lift for us,” said Michigan coach
John Beilein. “Really those two
guys were non-factors for us
last season. It’s more about what
they do as they develop.”
Despite being benched in
light of Wilson’s emergence,
redshirt junior guard Duncan
Robinson came on and looked
as confident as ever doing what
he does best. Robinson was
3-for-5 from 3-point range,
boosting
Michigan’s
offense
with 10 points. He helped the
Wolverines shoot an impressive
39 percent from behind the arc.
Michigan will have just a
few hours to admire its win
before it takes on Southern
Methodist in the 2K Classic
final on Friday. The Wolverines
not only hope to close out their
first tournament of the season
with a championship, but also
to get revenge over a team that
has handed them a loss in each
of the previous two seasons.
“This’ll
be
a
great,
great
barometer for us right now
to see where we are,” Beilein
said. “We’re trying to win a
championship. We’d love to win
this championship, get out to a 4-0
start. But we’re playing an NCAA
Tournament team (in) SMU.”
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. dribbles past a Marquette defender in Thursday night’s game at the 2K Sports Classic in New York City. Walton contributed a double-double, scoring 10 points and leading Michigan with 12 rebounds.
NEW YORK CITY — Since
returning to the starting lineup
after missing the Michigan men’s
basketball
team’s
exhibition
opener with an ankle injury, junior
guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-
Rahkman has stepped up when
the Wolverines needed him in
both games of the 2K Classic’s Ann
Arbor regional. And his timely
play traveled with him all the way
to New York City, as Michigan
took on Marquette in the semifinal
round of the tournament at
Madison Square Garden.
Against Howard last Friday,
the Wolverines failed to score
for the opening five minutes of
the game. Opportunities came
and went, and Michigan couldn’t
capitalize, so Abdur-Rahkman
took matters into his own hands.
Knocking
down
back-to-back
triples just 30 seconds apart,
Abdur-Rahkman not only put
Michigan on the board, but tied
the game at six to stop the Bison
in their tracks.
Against IUPUI the following
Sunday, Abdur-Rahkman played
all but four minutes for the
Wolverines,
finishing
among
the team’s top scorers with 12
points. Adding in two rebounds,
two steals and a block for good
measure, Abdur-Rahkman made
his presence felt all over the floor
in a comfortable win.
So when senior guard Derrick
Walton Jr. committed two quick
fouls and had to sit out the majority
of the first half Thursday night
against Marquette, it came as no
surprise that Abdur-Rahkman
would be the one to shoulder the
burden for Michigan.
“With Derrick gone, not only
did he need to look to score a little
bit more, he had to run the team
a little bit with (freshman guard
Xavier Simpson),” said Michigan
coach John Beilein. “(Simpson) is
still getting some of the timing on
some of our stuff, and so he was
really running like half a point
guard at that time.
“So as he was out there,
that was what I was thinking
— ‘All right, if we ever have
these injuries again, or we
have two point guards out, can
Muhammad fulfill this role?’ And
he did at times today.”
In an opening half in which
the Wolverines simply ran away
from the Golden Eagles, Abdur-
Rahkman guided the offensive
explosion by assuming the point
guard role and facilitating the
run of play. While Michigan led
by double digits for much of that
stretch, Abdur-Rahkman poured
in 11 points, seven of which came
from the free-throw line.
Adopting a more aggressive
approach than he has shown so
far this season, Abdur-Rahkman
pressured Marquette’s defense
relentlessly. Driving to the basket
continuously, he cut through
the Golden Eagles left and right
to open up space in the middle
for himself and his teammates.
His up-tempo tone fed into
his defensive mindset as well,
forcing a pair of steals to launch
counterattacks on the other end.
“I think Muhammad did a
great job bringing the ball up,
getting us set on offense and also
being aggressive as well,” said
senior forward Zak Irvin. “So
it’s huge when you have other
players who can step up when
Derrick isn’t in the game.”
By the time the half came to
its conclusion, the Wolverines
held a 50-26 advantage and never
looked back. Though Abdur-
Rahkman scored just four points
in the second half, he had already
done his part, as Michigan
emerged with a 79-61 victory to
advance to the championship
round of the 2K Classic.
BETELHEM ASHAME
Daily Sports Editor
BRANDON CARNEY
Daily Sports Writer
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GRANT HARDY/Daily
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored 15 points in the win Thursday.
Michigan routs Marquette, advances to tourney final Friday
Abdur-Rahkman steps up at guard in Wolverines’ victory