No. 20 Michigan fends off Northwestern in OT

Vladislav Goldin had 31 points and eight rebounds and No. 20 Michigan edged Northwestern 80-76 in overtime on Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Nimari Burnett contributed 13 points, while Roddy Gayle Jr. and Tre Donaldson added 10 apiece for the Wolverines (14-4, 6-1 Big Ten).

Brooks Barnhizer led the Wildcats (11-7, 2-5) with 21 points and eight rebounds. Nick Martinelli had 20 points and Jalen Leach tossed in 19.

Leach knocked down two 3-pointers to give Northwestern a four-point advantage with 15:19 left in the second half. Burnett answered with a 3-pointer and from that point on, neither team led by more than three points for the rest of regulation.

Berry hit a long jumper with 2:26 left to tie it at 63-apiece. Neither side scored again until Gayle made a layup gave Michigan a two-point lead with 34 seconds to go.

Matthew Nicholson made two free throws with 14 seconds left to send the game into overtime.

Gayle’s layup in the first minute of the extra session put Michigan on top. The Wildcats pulled even with 1:45 left but Gayle moved Michigan back on top with two free throws. After Martinelli missed a jumper in the final minutes, Donaldson knocked down two free throws.

The teams traded free throws the rest of the way but the Wolverines never let their cushion get lower than two points.

Martinelli had 14 first-half points as Northwestern grabbed a 35-30 halftime lead. Leach supplied nine points and five assists, while Goldin led Michigan with 11 points.

Northwestern had an 18-13 lead with 8:35 left in the half following a basket by Ty Berry (12 points).

Goldin quickly turned that around, knocking down consecutive 3-pointers to begin a 9-0 Michigan spurt. The Wolverines’ lead didn’t last long, as Northwestern soon reeled off seven consecutive points, capped by a Berry 3-pointer, for a 27-25 lead.

Goldin opened the second half with a dunk and scored six more points in the next three minutes to give the Wolverines a 42-40 lead.