Robinson Scores 21, Michigan Ends Huskers' Roll In 81-68 Win
ERIC OLSON, AP Sports Writer
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Duncan Robinson scored 21 points and Derrick Walton Jr. had 12 rebounds to go with his 19 points, leading Michigan to an 81-68 win over Nebraska on Saturday.
The Wolverines (15-5, 5-2 Big Ten) squandered most of an 18-point lead in the second half but held on to end the Cornhuskers' four-game win streak. Michigan has won all six meetings with the Huskers (12-9, 4-4) since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011.
Michigan made its first nine shots after halftime and led 54-36 with 13 minutes left. But the Wolverines kept turning over the ball and couldn't put the Huskers away. Tai Webster made two straight steals and layups to pull Nebraska within 66-64.
Robinson's backdoor cut for a dunk put the Wolverines up six points, and they made all 10 of their free throws in the last 3 minutes.
Nebraska, coming off Wednesday's 72-71 upset at No. 11 Michigan State, got 15 points apiece from Glynn Watson Jr. and Andrew White III.
Michigan, which saw a 12-point lead whittled to three at halftime, made its first nine shots of the second half and led 49-33 after a 16-3 run.
Robinson, held scoreless the last 15 ½ minutes of the first half, swished a 3 from the corner and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored underneath. After Nebraska called a timeout, Zac Irvin hit a jumper and a 3-pointer as the Wolverines' lead grew to 18 points.
Watson Jr.'s three-point play started a 10-0 spurt that got Nebraska within 54-46, and 3s from the same spot in the corner by Tai Webster and Shavon Shields made it a five-point game with 6 minutes to play.
Aubrey Dawkins' spin-around jumper from in front of the Michigan bench just before the shot clock expired put the Wolverines up 66-59.
The Huskers were able to stay in range by converting seven second-half turnovers into 13 points.
Robinson made two 3s and scored eight points during a 16-2 spurt that put Michigan up 18-6. But the Wolverines made only one field goal the last 7:46 of the half, and Watson Jr. beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to get Nebraska within 33-30 at the break.
TIP-INS
Michigan: Wolverines came in needing one win to match their total from 2014-15 ... Played their sixth straight game without senior guard Chris LaVert, who has a lower left leg injury. Before injury, he was leading scorer at 17.6 points a game . ... Robinson entered game leading nation in 3-point shooting at 51.6 percent.
Nebraska: Entered game shooting Big Ten-best 49.3-percent in conference games ... Averaging 75.9 points in Big Ten games. Last season Nebraska averaged 57.1 points in conference play and scored more than 70 in only one game ... Miles, his staff and the first 500 students through the doors wore yellow shirts for the third annual #AveryStrong Day and bone marrow donor drive. The event supports Avery Harriman, 8-year-old son of former assistant coach Chris Harriman, and other pediatric cancer patients. Fans ages 18 to 44 were encouraged to sign up for the bone marrow registry.
UP NEXT:
Michigan hosts Rutgers on Wednesday.
Nebraska visits Purdue on Saturday.
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