After a uninspired 20 minutes to begin the game, the Michigan Wolverines broken open a tight game in the second half to beat the Illinois Fighting Illini, 71-58, on Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
No. 7 Michigan vs. Illinois final score: Trey Burke, Wolverines put away Illini in 2nd half
Trey Burke led the Michigan Wolverines to a home victory against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Five minutes had passed in the game as the Illini had jumped out to a 13-5 lead, and the Wolverines trailed until a Tim Hardaway Jr. layup with 3:30 to play in the first half. Michigan then trailed, 31-28, at halftime as Illinois' success came by crashing the boards for eight offensive rebounds in the first half, leading to 13 second-chance points.
Michigan (23-4) righted that statistic in the second half by denying the Illini the ability to grab another offensive rebound.
Trey Burke poured in 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go with eight assists and only one turnover on the day. With his team trailing at the half, Burke responded by scoring 19 of those points in the second half.
For Michigan, Hardaway Jr. and Glenn Robinson III scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Two minutes into the second half, the Wolverines began an 11-0 run to take a 43-34 lead.
Illinois' Tyler Griffey scored seven straight points in the middle of the second half. The final bucket brought his team within four points of Michigan, 51-47. But UM responded with a final blow in the form of a 15-2 run over the next five minutes, building a 66-49 lead with only three minutes remaining in the game.
Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Tracy Abrams led the Illini (20-9) with 10 points each.
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