The Michigan basketball team was defeated yesterday by the cross-state rivals Michigan State Spartans by the score of 70-62.
The game was close and Michigan had a chance to win to the very end but the poor shooting and bad defense by Zak Irvin doomed the squad. Irvin went 0-8 from the floor with only 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 turnovers. Derrick Walton Jr. had a very strong game with 24 points and nine rebounds. He also went 14-15 from the free throw line. The Spartans were led by freshman Cassius Winston, with 16 points, and Miles Bridges who scored 15 and had 15 rebounds.
The game started out strong for the Wolverines, who jumped out to a 10-7 lead. The Spartans stormed back though and went on a 9-0 run. The first half finished with a 32-28 Spartan lead. The second half started close but Michigan State started to pull away and took a 9 point lead with 10 minutes to go. Michigan never could come back and due to the strong shooting and stellar defense of MSU.
The loss dropped Michigan to 14-8 overall and 4-5 in the conference, good for 8th. Michigan will return to the Crisler Center on Saturday to take on the arch-rival Ohio State Buckeyes.
