Michigan basketball survives Ohio's late-game heroics, pushes ahead for 70-66 in overtime

Michigan basketball escaped its first Mid-American Conference team on Nov. 11, outlasting a talented Eastern Michigan squad at Little Caesars Arena.

It did so again on Sunday against Ohio at home in Ann Arbor — but needed extra time to do so.

On the heels of a blowout loss to Arizona State, U-M was down by six with 4:13 to play on Sunday before going on an 8-0 run, capped with two free throws by Kobe Bufkin with 2.1 seconds to play. It looked like the game was over.

But after a timeout, the Bobcats inbounded the ball the length of the court. The pass bounced off the rim and backboard and on the second put-back attempt, Dwight Wilson got the shot to fall as time expired and forced overtime.

"That was the wildest play I've ever been a part of," Bufkin said afterwards. "The way it bounced off he rim, it was crazy. It was one of those situations where you didn't know what to do because if you jump it might be a foul.

"It was just a high IQ play by them, I guess."

However, Michigan attacked to open the extra period.

Hunter Dickinson nailed a mid-range jumper, Jett Howard followed with a 3-pointer to take a five-point lead and even after a Wilson three-point play with 1:09 to play cut the lead to two, the Wolverines made enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the 70-66 win.

"You're going to get some games sometimes where it won't go the way some people think it should go as far as blow out wins," said Michigan coach Juwan Howard. "But you've got to give respect to your opponent. They're older players, been through some challenging moments, won games in the NCAA tournament vs. high-level Power Five teams.

"Ohio, give them respect, they deserved to be in the game today. They're well-coached and they play hard."

Dickinson led the way with a double-double, scoring a team-high 24 points and 14 rebounds. 13 points from Jett Howard scored 13 points, Terrance Williams had 11 and Jaelin Llewellyn scored 10.

Michigan had a six-point lead (its largest of the game) with 16:11 to play in the second half when the Bobcats ripped off a 22-9 run over the next 8:33 to take a 57-50 lead.

Bufkin (nine points) answered with a tough left-handed leaner from the right side and Williams hit a 3-pointer from the wing to cut the deficit to two. Wilson then hit a floater along the baseline before making a tough 15-foot fadeaway over Dickinson with 4:13 to play.

"Toughness," Howard said on what he saw from Bufkin when he made both high-leverage free throws in the final seconds of regulation. "He made some plays when it was time and he also made some tough free throws and that was a pressure moment. ... You have over 11, 12,000 fans watching you, it's quiet, bright lights and you've got people lined up at the free-throw line and it's on you. You feel like you're on an island by yourself, that's hard.

"He really grew up in a moment like that because I don't think many of us can make those shots."

Ohio wouldn't score again until time expired in the half.

Wilson had 21 points, Jaylin Hunter had 14 and Brown added 11 as the Bobcats almost pulled off their first win over the Wolverines since winning the opening-round upset in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

Far from ideal

While the Wolverines (4-1) won't apologize for the win, there's no doubt they're still searching for help beyond Dickinson.

The Wolverines were outplayed, particularly on the glass. Ohio had more rebounds 49-46, which included 19 on the offensive end that led to 13 second-chance points. The Wolverines, who had a size advantage with Ohio's tallest starter standing just 6-foot-8, were outscored in the paint, 34-20.

Michigan again, struggled from 3s, shooting 10 of 32 attempts and just 5 of 17 in the second half and overtime.

The Wolverines also had nearly as many turnovers (11) as they had assists (12) and mid-way through the first period, Howard felt as if the starters weren't giving him the energy he needed. So he made a hockey-style line change, subbing out all five starters for reserves Dug McDaniel, Joey Baker, Isaiah Barnes, Will Tschetter and Tarris Reed Jr.

"We kind of came out a little flat," Bufkin said. "It wasn't really a message, just that we needed to get it together. Our second group came in with the energy that we needed and gave us a kick."

Dickinson delivers

Michigan was "flat" for the first 17 minutes of the game, allowing Ohio to take an eight-point lead. That's when Dickinson, the captain and unquestioned leader, took matters into his own hands.

The junior center got it started with two free throws, then a layup off a nice feed on a pick-and-roll from Howard. After a 3-pointer off an inbounds pass from underneath the hoop, Dickinson hit a jumper after two jab-step fakes from the right elbow to tie the game.

On the final play of the half, he caught an outlet pass from Howard and buried another long ball as time expired; the entire crowd jumping to its feet as it happened as he capped a personal 12-2 run in the final 3:04 of the opening period to send the Wolverines into the break with momentum.

"I think we did need a lift and my teammates just found me in good spots," he said after posting his 19th career double-double, moving into a tie with his coach for 18th most in program history. "That three off the inbounds play, then the three at the end of the half, that was Jett being unselfish.

"Making that extra pass is something we try to pride ourselves on at Michigan."

Dickinson and Howard scored 22 of the 33 points in the first half and made 8 of 9 combined shots from the field including 3-for-3 on 3s. The rest of the team shot 3 of 16 in the opening period and 2-of-12 from long range.

Searching for shooting help

Michigan's guards are still searching for their stroke from deep.

The two made 3s in the first half — by Bufkin and Llewellyn — were notable. Michigan's starting backcourt entered the game a combined 1-for-24 on three-pointers through four games.

The two combined for a big play early in the second half when Bufkin had a diving steal, then threw it to a streaking Llewellyn who finished in traffic for the first points of the half. The Princeton transfer soon hit another 3-pointer as time on the shot clock was winding down to give U-M its six-point lead.

Llewellyn made 2 of 6 3s and Bufkin made 1 of 6.

"I feel like when I take those shots it's something I worked on all summer, all off season and am still working on it to today," Bufkin said. "Just because I started off the season doesn't mean I'm going to stop shooting it.

"Eventually, the switch is going to flip and I'm going to be right back to where I know I can be."

Contact Tony Garcia at apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @realtonygarcia.

Next up: Tigers

Matchup: No. 21 Michigan (4-1) vs. Jackson State (0-3).

Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday; Crisler Center, Ann Arbor.

TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WWJ-AM (950).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball survives Ohio's late heroics, win, 70-66 in OT