Buckeyes Bring Down Michigan, 84-75 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 2, 2002%^$
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%^$%^$%^$Box Score|%^$Notes%^$%^$%^$%^$
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By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER
Associated Press Writer%^$
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) – Zach Williams was more than happy to share.%^$
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Ohio State beat Michigan 84-75 on Saturday night to clinch a share of the%^$Big Ten regular-season title with at least two other teams.%^$
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“It feels real good,” Williams, a forward who had eight points and six%^$rebounds, said of sharing the championship with Wisconsin and Indiana. “I%^$don’t care how many teams we share it with.”%^$
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Boban Savovic and Brian Brown each scored 19 points to lead the No. 18%^$Buckeyes (20-7, 11-5) to their 17th conference title.%^$
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Wisconsin locked up its share Wednesday by beating Michigan 74-54. Indiana%^$staked its claim to the conference crown with a 79-67 win over Northwestern on%^$Saturday. Illinois has a chance to make it four Big Ten champions when it plays%^$at Minnesota on Sunday.%^$
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The win also gave Ohio State its fourth straight 20-win season, matching the%^$school record set from 1960-63.%^$
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Buckeyes players and the fans who made the trip from Ohio took to the court%^$and jumped up out and down screaming “O-S-U! O-S-U! as Michigan fans made%^$their way to the exits.%^$
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“This shows how great our fans are,” said Brown, who added eight assists%^$and six rebounds. “It feels good that they were there to support us.”%^$
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The Wolverines (10-17, 5-11), who have lost six in a row and seven of eight,%^$were led by Dommanic Ingerson with 21 points. Bernard Robinson Jr. had 20%^$points, and senior Chris Young, who was playing his final game at Crisler%^$Arena, added 17.%^$
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“They played tough. I give them credit, but we were the better team,”%^$Savovic said.%^$
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The Buckeyes posted their largest margin of victory in a Big Ten contest%^$this season in a 69-47 rout of the Wolverines on Jan. 24, but Saturday’s game%^$was much more competitive.%^$
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“I’ve been asked a few times before this game … if this team has quit,”%^$Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. “I take offense to that because I’ve been%^$very proud to coach this team.”%^$
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“There have been a few disasters along the way, but at no point has this%^$team quit,” Amaker said.%^$
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Michigan erased a 13-point Ohio State lead and pulled to 72-68 at 2:40 on a%^$field goal by Robinson. But the Buckeyes pulled away with a layup and then a%^$pair of free throws by Terence Dials.%^$
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“We cut it down to four a couple of times,” said Leon Jones, who also was%^$playing his last regular-season game as a Wolverine. “We just didn’t come up%^$with that big stop and the big shot that put us over the top.”%^$
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With Michigan trailing 58-49, Robinson scored and was intentionally fouled%^$by Brent Darby with less than 9 minutes remaining. Robinson made both free%^$throws to make it 58-53.%^$
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But the Wolverines were called for a double dribble on their next%^$possession, and Ohio State scored eight straight points to take a 66-53 lead.%^$
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“This is something I’ll never forget, playing in front of a lot of family%^$and friends” said Darby, a Detroit native who had 17 points.%^$
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After Robinson scored from the paint to close Michigan to within two at%^$45-43, Ohio State scored seven straight to take a 52-43 lead – its largest to%^$that point – with 13:54 remaining.%^$
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The Wolverines took a 25-22 lead on a 3-pointer by Ingerson at 4:25, but%^$Ohio State ended the half on a 12-4 run to lead 34-29.%^$
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A running one-hander by Robinson tied it at 20-20 and capped a 9-2 Michigan%^$run with 5:46 remaining in the half.%^$
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Savovic scored Ohio State’s first seven points, staking the Buckeyes to a%^$7-2 lead.%^$
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Both teams well from the field. Ohio State made 54 percent and Michigan made%^$50.%^$
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For the Wolverines’ last regular-season game, Amaker started five seniors:%^$Young at center, former walk-ons Rotolu Adebiyi and Herb Gibson at forward and%^$former walk-on and fifth-year senior Mike Gotfredson and Jones as guards.
