Freshman Moussa Diabate poured in a career-high 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Michigan held off Iowa 84-79 in Iowa City on Thursday.
Diabate’s previous high was 15 points. Hunter Dickinson supplied 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Wolverines (14-10, 8-6 Big Ten). DeVante’ Jones had 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Eli Brooks added 13 points and five assists and Kobe Bufkin chipped in 10 points.
Keegan Murray’s 23 points and seven rebounds led Iowa (17-8, 7-7). Patrick McCaffery had 13 points, Filip Rebraca tossed in 12 and Jordan Bohannon added 11.
The Hawkeyes were clinging to a 39-37 lead coming out of halftime, and a Dickinson layup gave Michigan a 43-42 lead with 17:49 left. The Wolverines soon had a 7-0 spurt, sparked by a Brooks 3-pointer, for a 57-50 advantage.
Another 3-pointer from Brooks and a fast-break basket by Dickinson made it 64-56 midway through the half. Diabate knocked down a jumper with 8:54, giving the Wolverines a 68-57 lead.
Bohannon’s 3-pointer with 5:56 left made it a six-point game, 72-66. Michigan then doubled the lead with Diabate scoring four points, sandwiching a steal and dunk from Bufkin.
Iowa responded with a 9-0 outburst, including seven points from McCaffery. Michigan’s Caleb Houstan ended the run with two free throws.
Murray’s dunk cut Michigan’s lead to 80-77, and the Wolverines proceeded to commit a turnover. But Murray missed a 3-point try and Jones split a pair of free throws.
After Ahron Ulis made a layup, Jones once again split two free throws. Bohannon’s desperation midcourt heave went awry and Jones was fouled once again before the buzzer.
In the early going, Iowa led 14-10 and Michigan answered with an 11-0 run, including a layup and dunk from Diabate. The Hawkeyes then went on a 13-2 run with Murray scoring six of those points.
The Wolverines responded with an 8-0 spurt to gain a 31-27 advantage. Bufkin contributed two of those baskets. Iowa scored the next six points and neither side led by more than two points the remainder of the half.
–Field Level Media