• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Michigan strikes again, knocks off No. 10 Iowa

Jan 23, 2014 - 4:16 AM Ann Arbor, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Nik Stauskas tallied 26 points, five rebounds and five assists as the 21st-ranked Michigan Wolverines took down their second straight top-10 foe with a 75-67 triumph over No. 10 Iowa from Crisler Center.

Stauskas, who scored the last 11 points to carry the Wolverines (14-4, 6-0 Big Ten) past then-No. 3 Wisconsin on Saturday, shot 8-of-14 from the floor in Michigan's eighth straight win after losing at home to top-ranked Arizona on Dec. 14.

"I'm just trying to be aggressive," said Stauskas. "I think that everyone is starting to understand their roles and guys are really confident."

Glenn Robinson III added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Jordan Morgan and Zak Irvin posted 12 and 11 points, respectively. Spike Albrecht made his first collegiate start, donating seven assists with a career-high four steals.

"Honestly, we just take it game by game," said Albrecht, when asked about Michigan's grueling stretch of three straight games against ranked opponents. "Every game we just try and go 1-0 that game. But now after this one, we can look forward to Saturday's game."

Melsahn Basabe netted 15 of his 17 points in the first half for Iowa (15-4, 4-2), which had its three-game winning streak snapped, while Aaron White scored all but one of his 17 in the second. Roy Devyn Marble chipped in 13 points, but had two crucial turnovers down the stretch.

Basabe scored 11 of Iowa's first 17 points before checking out with the Hawkeyes holding a three-point edge, but Stauskas' 4-for-4 start, including his second triple at 8:22, knotted the score at 21-apiece. Robinson's offensive board and putback on Stauskas' first miss from deep gave Michigan a 23-21 edge 12 minutes into the game.

"The amazing thing about him (Stauskas) has been his consistency all year," said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. "He's obviously somebody that everyone marks, yet he's still able to get shots out of the offense, get shots on his own. He's really doing a lot off the dribble."

The lead changed hands six times with seven ties in the first half. Iowa led 31-30 at 4:11, but a Stauskas three-point play two minutes later capped a 6-0 surge. Neither team led by more than five in the period, with the Wolverines owning a 38-34 lead at halftime.

Michigan built the game's first double digit advantage minutes into the second half. It was 47-43 when Stauskas canned a corner three for his 21st point. Robinson then drove the lane and threw down a two-handed jam and Albrecht stole the ensuing inbounds pass and laid it in for a 54-43 edge at 14:05. Albrecht's bucket was his first 2-pointer since Nov. 29.

White scored every point during a 13-5 Hawkeyes push late in the contest. His dunk at 2:32 cut Iowa's deficit to 67-64, but the visitors fell asleep on the other end and lost Robinson, who laid in an alley-oop from Albrecht to restore Michigan's two-possession lead.

Stauskas, Albrecht and Robinson all made two free throws in the final minute to secure the outcome.

Game Notes

Stauskas has scored 20-plus points with at least four rebounds and four assists in three straight games ... Morgan shot 5-of-6 for the field. He is now shooting 22-for-26 in conference play ... The Wolverines travel to East Lansing for a meeting with Michigan State, which is also unbeaten in conference play, on Saturday ... Iowa lost for the first time this season when trailing at halftime.