Krannitz, Chippewas Out-Rebound Wolverines
12/30/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Spencer Krannitz grabbed nine of Central Michigan's 38 rebounds as the Chippewas out-rebounded No. 2 Michigan by nine, but an 8-for-9 start by the Wolverines was too much to overcome in an 88-73 loss.
The Chippewas (7-6) shot 4-of-6 out of the gate but the Wolverines (13-0) bettered that by hitting eight of their first nine shots to jump out to an 18-10 lead in the first four and a half minutes. After the five minute mark the Wolverines "cooled off" to end the half shooting 57 percent (20-35) while holding the Chippewas to 34 percent (11-32).
The second half ended up in Central Michigan's favor as the Chippewas shot 63 percent from the field and out-scored the Wolverines, 44-42.
"The start of the game took its toll on us but it wasn't surprising to me how hard we worked to keep the game respectable. We worked hard when it would have been easier to let the game get away from us," said CMU head coach Keno Davis.
Leading 46-29 at the half, the Wolverines came out of the locker room to a 12-4 run that stretched their lead to 25, which would prove to be their largest of the game. The nation's leading three-point shooter, Nik Stauskas, was 0-for-1 before the break but hit three long-range shots to start the second half and made his first five attempts after halftime to help stretch the lead.
Despite just two points at the half, Olivier Mbaigoto caught fire for 12 second-half points, including eight straight for the Chippewas midway through the period, and ended as the team's leading scorer with 14.
The Chippewas have become a team that relies on scoring at the foul line, but they were held to a season-low 12 attempts against a Wolverines team that committed just 10 total fouls, including three in the first half. Neither team got into the double bonus in either half as the Chippewas were whistled for only nine total fouls.
Michigan entered the game as the 15th best rebounding team in the country, out-rebounding its opponents by 10 per game, and ended up being out-rebounded for just the second team this season (#18 N.C. State, 31-25).
"We talked going into this game that if we didn't rebound with Michigan the game would be over before it started," said Davis. "We had to make sure even though we were under-sized that we chased down all the rebounds from all positions."
Mbaigoto paced four players in double figures. Austin Keel and Derrick Richardson added 11 each and Kyle Randall scored 10.
Additional game notes:
- Seven of Krannitz' career-high nine boards came in the first half and all nine came in just 17 minutes. Tonight was the 10th game of the season in which a freshman led the team in rebounding.
- Derrick Richardson, in front of his hometown friends and family, went 5-for-5 from the field for 11 points and his first double-digit game since the season opener; he grabbed a career-high six rebounds.
- Earlier this season, Michigan defeated Eastern Michigan by 39 and Western Michigan by 32.
- This was the fourth game of the year with four players in double figures.
- Michigan committed just three turnovers.
Additional postgame quotes
"We were a little intimidated at the start and we were trying different things defensively to keep them on the perimeter. But you're talking about the number two team in the country. You take one thing away from them and they will hurt you in another direction."
"We had some unforced turnovers and showed some immaturity at the start. So next time we are in this type of game, in a hostile, crowd, we will have a little more of a comfort level."
"These are great experiences for our team. As long as we can take some positives away from the losses. Some teams can't learn from losses. They take a loss and go in different directions. But we have a very close knit group and we will take this to heart and get better from it."