• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Burke helps Michigan hold off Indiana

Feb 2, 2012 - 4:35 AM Ann Arbor, MI (Sports Network) - Trey Burke scored 18 points as No. 23 Michigan held off a late push by No. 20 Indiana to take a 68-56 victory on Wednesday.

Tim Hardaway Jr. and Zack Novak added 13 points apiece for the Wolverines (17-6, 7-3 Big Ten), who remained a perfect 13-0 at home this season and have taken the past 14 games at Crisler Center.

Jordan Hulls had 18 points and five assists while Cody Zeller notched a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana (17-6, 5-6), which dropped its fifth game in its last seven tries.

"At the start of the game we allowed a very good team to play like a great team because our players came out like they had seen a ghost," Indiana head coach Tom Crean said. "You can not come out and not have a physical presence right off the bat and you can not come out and give that kind of space to a team as good as Michigan."

Michigan led, 33-22, at the break, but Indiana's Remy Abell opened the second half with a layup, sparking a 14-5 run by the Hoosiers to get Indiana within 38-36 on Christian Watford's three-point play seven minutes into the second half.

Novak's three-pointer stopped the swing, but Indiana answered with a Hulls jumper to make it a one-possession game again.

A brief 6-0 run by the Wolverines was then followed by five straight points by Indiana to keep them in striking distance.

After a Hulls three-pointer brought IU within 52-49 with 3:46 to play, Burke turned the ball over at the other end and Watford made the front end of two free throws on the Hoosiers' ensuing possession for a 52-50 game.

But that's as close as Indiana would get as Burke drove to the net before kicking the ball out to a wide open Hardaway in the corner for a three- pointer, putting the Wolverines up by five.

Indiana's Derek Elston then was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound and missed the first of a 1-and-1, leading to a Stu Douglass trey from the left wing on the other end and a 58-50 Michigan lead.

Zeller's putback brought Indiana back within six, but Michigan made 10-of-12 foul shots down the stretch to hang on for the win.

"We were very fortunate to get out like that," Michigan head coach John Beilein said. "We were able to slow the tempo down a little bit and really play a good basketball game."

Michigan opened the game on a 13-0 run as Indiana struggled from the floor early, missing its first five shots and turning the ball over twice.

Watford's short jumper stopped the bleeding, but the Wolverines scored seven of the game's next 11 points to jump out to an 20-6 lead

Michigan stretched its lead to 28-8 before the Hoosiers ripped off a 9-0 run to cut their deficit to 11 with under four minutes to go in the half.

A Novak deep three-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock expired stopped the spurt, but the Hoosiers outscored the Wolverines 5-2 down the stretch and trailed, 33-22, at the break.

Michigan shot 52 percent and made 6-of-14 shots from beyond the arc through the first 20 minutes, while Indiana went 9-for-21 from the floor and turned the ball over eight times.

Game Notes

Novak's 13 points give him 980 for his career, leaving him 20 short of becoming the 45th Wolverine to reach 1,000 career points...Elston finished with nine points for Indiana, while Douglass had nine points, four assists and three rebounds for Michigan...Michigan recorded 17 points off 14 Indiana turnovers.