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No. 13 Michigan finally tops Illinois on road

Mar 2, 2012 - 2:53 AM Champaign, IL (Sports Network) - Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half and had 11 rebounds, and No. 13 Michigan snapped a 13-game losing streak in Champaign with a 72-61 win over Illinois on Thursday.

Hardaway was 6-of-7 from the floor -- including a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc -- while Trey Burke added 21 points and five assists for Michigan (22-8, 12-5 Big Ten), which hadn't won at Illinois since 1995. The Wolverines have won five of their last six games overall.

Michigan wraps up its regular season Sunday at Penn State and can still grab a share of the Big Ten title. If the Wolverines win, and Ohio State knocks off Michigan State in East Lansing Sunday, there will be a three-way tie atop the Big Ten standings.

Meyers Leonard had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the Fighting Illini (17-13, 6-11), who have lost 10 of their last 12 games.

The Illini, who trailed by eight at the break, began the second half on a 12-5 run to pull within 40-39. Leonard, who scored just four points in the opening stanza, netted six points during the surge.

Hardaway, though, put the Wolverines on his back as they pulled away.

He nailed three straight triples and had the first 11 points of a 15-5 Michigan push as the visitors led, 55-44, with 7:17 remaining.

Illinois, meanwhile, didn't record a field goal for 5:34 until Leonard's tip- in made it 55-46.

The Illini got within five after Tracy Abrams' three-point play capped a 7-0 spurt, which made it 58-53 with 4:19 left, but Illinois never got any closer down the stretch.

A personal 8-0 run by Burke, highlighted by back-to-back treys, helped the Wolverines take a 22-14 lead midway through the opening half. Michigan nailed five of its first six attempts from beyond the arc.

The Wolverines took a 35-27 advantage into the locker room. Burke was 6-of-9 from the field and led all first-half scorers with 14 points. Hardaway added nine points for Michigan, which shot 54.2 percent in the opening 20 minutes.

Game Notes

Illinois still holds an 85-74 advantage in the all-time series...The Wolverines last defeated the Illini in Illinois, 69-59, on January 17, 1995...Michigan was 21-of-23 from the free-throw line and 9-of-19 from three- point range...Brandon Paul had 15 points and six rebounds for the Illini.