Dickinson Leads Way as Michigan Upsets No. 3 Purdue at Crisler
» Led by Hunter Dickinson’s 22 points, Michigan upset No. 3 Purdue 82-58 at Crisler Center.
» The victory is the Wolverines’ first this season over a ranked opponent, and highest-ranked opponent U-M has defeated under head coach Juwan Howard.
» Eli Brooks set the U-M record for career games played with 147. He scored 18 points — 16 in the second half — against Purdue.
» Moussa Diabate tied his career best with 15 points, going 7-for-12 from the field with four dunks.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 82, #3 Purdue 58
Records: U-M (13-9, 7-5 B1G), PUR (21-4, 10-4 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 12 — vs. #16 Ohio State (Crisler Center), 6 p.m. (TV: ESPN)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Led by sophomore Hunter Dickinson‘s 22 points and 15 points from freshman Moussa Diabate, the University of Michigan men’s basketball team knocked off No. 3-ranked Purdue 82-58 Thursday night (Feb. 10) at Crisler Center.
The victory is the Wolverines’ first over a ranked opponent this season and the highest-ranked opponent U-M has defeated under head coach Juwan Howard, topping its win over No. 4 Ohio State last season in Columbus (Feb. 21, 2021). Thursday’s win also marks Michigan’s highest-ranked victory since it knocked off No. 2 Michigan State in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament (March 3, 2018).
After getting just 26 points in the paint in the first matchup against Purdue, U-M hit that mark in the first half alone and closed the game with 36 total. Adding to the inside scoring, the Maize and Blue made 12 three-pointers after managing just five in the first game.
Once again, Dickinson put the Wolverines on his back, leading U-M with 22 points and making a career-best four three-pointers, while adding nine rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. He has seven 20+ point games over his last nine. Diabate tied a career-best with 15 points, including four monster dunks, and closed the game shooting 7-for-12 from the field; he also added four rebounds and a steal.
After setting the U-M record for career games played (147), graduate student Eli Brooks scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half, while adding six rebounds and four assists. He is now 11 points from reaching 1,000 for his career. Fellow graduate student DeVante’ Jones posted a double-double with his 11 points and career-best-tying 10 assists.
Playing each other for the second time in a six-day span, both offenses started red hot, but the Wolverines took the early advantage with an quick 7-0 run, capped off by a Caleb Houstan triple, to take a 9-4 lead. Following a steal and layup on the other end, Jones had six early points, giving U-M a 13-10 lead at the first media break.
Continuing its attack, Michigan (13-9, 7-5 Big Ten) was able to convert on driving backdoor cuts as Diabate attacked inside, adding nine early points as U-M built an eight-point advantage. However, Purdue’s Jaden Ivey continued to get the bounces off the rim as his quick 10 points helped the Boilermakers cut U-M’s lead in half, 22-18. Despite a two-minute U-M scoring drought, the Wolverines were able to ward off the Boilermakers and got back on the board after Houstan’s offensive board off his own miss helped U-M stay ahead 24-21. On the other end, Purdue’s Ethan Morton drained a triple to tie the game on the game’s next possession.
Out of a media break, Dickinson grabbed a loose ball after a Trevion Williams miss and drained his 13th three-pointer on the season on the next possession. Dickinson then made it a personal 5-0 run after his soft lefty hook gave U-M a 29-24 edge. After a second-chance dunk from Diabate, U-M posted its second 7-0 run to go back up 31-24 at the under four timeout. The Boilermakers did not score for six minutes, but an Ivey free throw got Purdue back on the board.
Heading to the other end, Dickinson drained his second triple of the half, and after another inside lay-in off a Purdue turnover, Diabate’s third dunk of the first half helped the Wolverines head into halftime with a 38-29 lead.
As he did in the first half, Houstan drained a three-pointer to get the Crisler crowd going, but a matching triple from Ivey kept the Wolverines’ lead at nine. A career-best-tying third three-pointer by Dickinson and a fourth dunk from Diabate pushed U-M to a 50-36 advantage as Purdue was forced to call a timeout just three minutes into the half.
Out of the timeout, a block by Dickinson on an Ivey jumper led to a U-M fast break led to a three-pointer from Brooks. Following a Sasha Stefanovic triple, Dickinsonv grabbed an offensive board and his nifty assist to a cutting Brandon Johns Jr., who converted a layup to put U-M up 16, 55-39, at the media break.
As Purdue used free throws to try to get back into the game, Brooks went on a personal 8-0 run with two triples and a jumper forcing another Boilermaker timeout with the Wolverines holding a 19-point lead, 66-57, with eight minutes remaining. Continuing to drain long-range buckets, triples by Brooks, Houstan and a career-best four by Dickinson extended the Michigan lead to 26, 78-52, with under four minutes to play.
As the waning seconds ticked away, the Wolverines cleared the bench and continued to hold the Boilermakers at bay to cruise to victory.
The Wolverines will get back on the court quickly, as they end a three-games-in-five-days swing, hosting No. 16 Ohio State on Saturday (Feb. 12) at 6 p.m. inside Crisler Center. The game is a “Blue Out,” and former U-M legend Rudy Tomjanovich returns to Ann Arbor as the Wolverines program will honor him for his Class of 2020 induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last summer.
For fans attending the contest, please review Michigan’s vaccination policy for indoor events.
