No. 22 Michigan Tops No. 8 Ohio St 74-62, Helps Other Rival

By LARRY LAGE/AP Sports Writer

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Jordan Poole scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half to help No. 22 Michigan take the lead and it never trailed in the second half of a 74-62 win over No. 8 Ohio State on Sunday.

The Wolverines (22-7, 11-5 Big Ten) beat a rival and helped out another rival, giving No. 2 Michigan State a one-game lead atop the conference standings with two games left in the regular season.

The Buckeyes (22-7, 13-3) have fallen out of first place by losing consecutive Big Ten games for the first time this season.

Michigan's Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored 17, Zavier Simpson had 13 points and Moe Wagner added 12.

Ohio State's Keita Bates-Diop had his second straight lackluster game, missing 12 of 17 shots and scoring 17 points.

Jae'Sean had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Buckeyes, who last lead was 18-17 midway through the first half.

BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: Bates-Diop is in a shooting slump and that may be a concern. He made as many shots (two) as he had turnovers in the first half against Michigan and finished with just five baskets on 17 attempts. Bates was 4 of 11 and scored just 10 points in the last loss to Penn State and has missed more than half his shots in three straight games. He did score a career-high 35 points two weeks ago against Illinois and is averaging nearly 20 points a game.

Michigan: Poole's play is encouraging for a team with its leading scorers averaging 10 to 14 points a game in the Big Ten. The freshman scored in double digits in three of his first seven games, including a 19-point performance against Indiana, but had 10 or more points in just four of the next 19 games. He hadn't scored more than eight points in his previous eight games and was averaging just 4.6 points during the stretch.

SENIOR MOMENT

Austin Hatch was included in Michigan's pregame and postgame ceremonies to honor its seniors. The former player survived two deadly plane crashes, killing members of his family, after committing in high school to play for the Wolverines. Hatch, who is from Fort Wayne, Indiana, was on the team his freshman year and later was a student assistant before leaving the program to focus on academics.

BOO BIRDS

Ohio State guard Andrew Dakich, who graduated from Michigan, was booed when he checked in the game in the first half and every time he had the ball.

UP NEXT

Ohio State: Closes the regular season at home Tuesday night against Rutgers and Friday night at Indiana.

Michigan: Tries to improve its seeding for the Big Ten tournament with road wins Wednesday night against Penn State and Saturday at Maryland.

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