Michigan wins nail-biter in coach Dusty May's return to Indiana

James Hawkins, The Detroit News on Feb 8, 2025

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Michigan coach Dusty May cared about one thing in his return to his alma mater — a victory.

Thanks to some timely baskets, stops and free throws in crunch time, the No. 24 Wolverines delivered one in nail-biting fashion at Assembly Hall.

In another game in which a double-digit lead turned into a one-possession game in the final minute, Michigan recovered from letting an 18-point lead slip away and pulled out a 70-67 victory over Indiana on Saturday.

Danny Wolf scored 20 and hit four critical free throws in the closing seconds to seal it for Michigan (18-5, 10-2), which has won four straight. Tre Donaldson and Vlad Goldin added 18 points each.

The Wolverines entered the matinee matchup tied for second in the Big Ten standings. The Hoosiers were in a nosedive. And less than 24 hours before tipoff, news broke that Indiana coach Mike Woodson would be stepping down at the end of the season.

It all made for an interesting environment where May received about the same level of applause as Woodson — they both also drew a smattering of boos — during pregame introductions.

Yet, the Indiana faithful didn’t have much to cheer about during the first half. The Wolverines led by double figures less than six minutes into the game. They built a double-digit advantage that grew to 18 over the final nine minutes and led by 16 at the break.

That changed in the second half, when Michigan began to lose its grip on the game and its offense couldn’t get going after rolling in the first half. A few careless turnovers and stagnant trips led to empty offensive possessions. An 8-0 spurt gave the crowd life, as Indiana whittled the deficit to single digits, 49-40, with 14:31 to play.

Goldin scored a bucket at the basket to quiet the crowd, but it only provided a brief reprieve as the Hoosiers kept pushing. Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako fueled a 20-4 run over a seven-and-a-half-minute stretch that ended with a Mgbako layup to make it 53-52 with 9:30 remaining.

Michigan created some separation behind its big men. Goldin made two free throws after being fouled on an offensive rebound. Wolf scored on a driving layup before finding Goldin for a basket at the rim. The Wolverines pulled ahead, 59-52, at the 6:56 mark.

Michigan couldn’t make it hold. A pass out of bounds by Wolf was followed by a layup the other way. A shot clock violation on the Wolverines preceded a possession in which Donaldson bit on a shot fake and fouled Luke Goode on the perimeter with Indiana in the bonus. Goode made both free throws to knot it at 59 with 4:08 to go.

Michigan managed to break out of its funk with some timely baskets down the stretch. After Goldin threw down a fast-break dunk to break the tie, Wolf converted a three-point play to make it 66-61 with 1:25 remaining.

Indiana got a bucket, a stop and had a chance to tie it, but Mgbako’s 3-pointer rimmed out with 24 seconds left. But it was far from over.

Donaldson was fouled and missed the front end of one-and-one with 18 seconds left, which kept the door open for the Hoosiers. Up three, Michigan fouled Trey Galloway with 12 seconds left and he split two free throws to make it 66-64.

Wolf made four free throws in the final 11 seconds to seal it before Anthony Leal hit a 3-pointer as time expired.

Reneau scored 16 and Mgbako 15 for Indiana (14-10, 5-8), which has lost five straight and seven of its last eight games.

Donaldson got the ball rolling for Michigan out of the gate. He pushed the pace. He knocked down two 3-pointers. He intercepted a pass for a steal. He whipped a cross-court feed to Nimari Burnett for a 3-pointer in transition. An 11-0 burst put Michigan up, 16-5, with 14:36 left in the first half.

The Hoosiers, after a rough 2-for-10 shooting start that featured one miss after another at the rim, responded with a run of their own once the Wolverines went to their bench. An offensive rebound led to a second-chance bucket for Indiana. A turnover on a poor pass by Donaldson was followed by a 3-pointer. A string of 11 unanswered points knotted it at 16 at the 11:18 mark.

Rubin Jones, who started in Roddy Gayle Jr.’s place, stuffed Indiana’s momentum with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and Michigan wasted little time regaining a double-digit advantage with a 19-3 surge. Goldin made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point shot and finished in transition off an outlet feed from Donaldson. Wolf drained a deep ball.

By the time Donalson capped the five-minute flurry with a hesitation dribble and blow-by layup, the Wolverines had turned a one-point edge into a 35-19 advantage.

Outside of the three-minute stretch when Indiana made its run, Michigan controlled the first half, extended the lead to 18 in the final minute and entered halftime with a 43-27 lead.