The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2019 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2014: It re- quired overtime, but John Beilein's Wolverines sur vived their Big Ten opener at home Dec. 30 against Illi- nois, 73-65. Michigan's 14-6 outburst in the extra session put the home team over the top. Aubrey Dawkins got scorching hot from the perimeter, nailing 6 of 7 three-point attempts and leading the way with 20 points. Caris LeVert added 19, with Zak Irvin and Ricky Doyle toss- ing in 13 each. Illinois built a seven-point lead in the first half, but Michigan scrambled back to tie the game on a Dawkins three followed by offensive rebounds and putbacks from Max Bielfeldt and Doyle. The Illini pushed back to take a six-point advantage into halftime. The visitors increased that margin to 13 in the second half, but thanks to Dawkins' hot hand, the Wolverines cut the deficit to five with 7:50 left. Doyle's free throw with 59 seconds remaining eventually sent the game to overtime. Threes by Irvin and Dawkins gave the Wolverines a lead they wouldn't relin- quish in the five-minute OT, allowing Beilein a sigh of relief. "That game had the feel of a Febru- ary game or with a Big Ten champion- ship on the line or something," Beilein said. "I'm really proud of the way our kids responded." 10 YEARS AGO, 2009: Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims combined for 50 of Michigan's 75 points in a 75- 64 win at home over the University of Detroit on Dec. 13. Harris fired in 27 with nine rebounds, while Sims went for 23 and 12 against the Titans. Detroit led U-M, 27-21, with 8:01 left in the first half, before the Wolverines got it cranked up. Stu Douglass' three- pointer off the bench sparked a 10-2 Michigan run to put the home team back on top, but the Titans fought back to hold a 36-33 lead at the half. The Wolverines streaked to a 16-6 run out of the gate in the second half. Sims scored 13 of those points, nailing three three-pointers. Michigan never looked back, although Detroit refused to go away quietly. 25 YEARS AGO, 1994: Michigan's two remaining Fab Five members, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King, led the Wol- verines to an 83-71 win over the Uni- versity of Tennessee-Chattanooga in front of a wildly excited crowd in UTC's McKenzie Arena Dec. 3. Jackson scored 26 and King 23 to spark Michigan's victory, while Dugan Fife provided some strong defense for the Wolverines. The game received im- mense publicity in Tennessee, given that Michigan didn't play many away non- conference contests in such venues. ESPN made it a highlighted game, sending Dick Vitale to the southern outpost. Vitale even enjoyed a per- sonal shoot-around while awaiting the Wolverines' arrival for a Friday night practice before the game. He received all the usual chants, based on his catch phrases, and upon making a bucket, shot a quip to the crowd. "Not bad for a 55-year-old guy with one bad eye," he said. The following day, his good eye saw a fading iconic crew play with enough spark to win. — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Junior guard Manny Harris (left) and senior forward DeShawn Sims combined for 50 of the Wolverines' 75 points in a 75-64 win over Detroit on Dec. 13, 2009. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN