Derrick Walton Jr. sparked Michigan’s strong start with 19 of his career-high 26 points in the first half, and the Wolverines hung on to beat Minnesota 82-74 Wednesday and give the Gophers their 13th consecutive loss.
Walton added eight rebounds and seven assists for the Wolverines (18-7, 8-4 Big Ten), who bounced back from a pair of double-digit defeats at home last week to Indiana and Michigan State by shooting 56 percent (14 for 25) from 3-point range.
Nate Mason scored 19 points for the Gophers (6-18, 0-12), whose last win was Dec. 16 against Chicago State. They didn’t fold after falling behind by as many as 19 points early in the second half, storming back to within 74-72 on a layup by Carlos Morris with 1:37 left.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman answered with a three-point play out of a timeout, though, and the Wolverines stayed steady over the final seconds.
