No. 20 Michigan vs. Purdue: Wolverines Survive Boilermakers, 66-64

The No. 20 Michigan Wolverines had a hard-fought game against the Purdue Boilermakers, but they pulled out the 66-64 victory on Tuesday night. Coincidentally, that was the same score the Wolverines had in a loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks over the weekend and previously beat the Northwestern Wildcats two weeks ago in an overtime contest.

The Wolverines almost let this game slip away from them in the second half. The team had built up a 44-34 lead toward the middle of the period, but a couple of threes and a few jumpers from the Boilermakers closed the gap and led to a back-and-forth game over the final 10 minutes of play.

With less than two minutes left on the clock, Purdue took a 64-63 lead on two free throws by Lewis Jackson. However, the Boilermakers couldn't hit another shot or sink a free throw. Instead, Jordan Morgan's dunk at 1:37 put the Wolverines in the 65-64. A free throw with three seconds ended the scoring, though Jackson did make one final (failed) three-point shot for a chance to win the game.

Jackson led Purdue with 17 points and eight rebounds while Robbie Hummel put in 16 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds. For Michigan, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Stu Douglass and Jordan Morgan each chipped in 12 points and combined for 12 rebounds.

The Wolverines improved to 16-5 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten. They will visit the No. 4 Ohio St. Buckeyes on Sunday.

For more on this game, visit Michigan blog Maize n Brew and Purdue blog Hammer and Rails. Check out SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes around the college hoops scene.