ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan defeated Michigan State 58-57 thanks to a late steal and slam by sophomore point guard Trey Burke.
With the score tied at 56-56 and the shot clock turned off, Burke stole the ball from Michigan State point guard Keith Appling and finished with an uncontested dunk at the other end with 22 seconds remaining to put the Wolverines up for good.
Michigan State would cut the deficit in half and get one last chance to win the game, but Burke would make another steal, this time a pass from Gary Harris, to give Michigan a one-point win against its in-state rival.
Burke led all scorers with 21 points and had a game-high 8 assists. Mitch McGary came off the bench to give Michigan 11 points in 21 minutes. Michigan State was led by junior forward Adreian Payne, who scored 17 and had a game-high 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Gary Harris added 16 points for the Spartans.
The Wolverines avenged a 75-52 loss to the Spartans in East Lansing last month.
Michigan improves to 24-5 overall and 11-5 in Big Ten play, while Michigan State falls to 22-7 overall and 11-5 in Big Ten play. With Michigan’s win and Purdue’s upset of Wisconsin on Sunday, the Indiana Hoosiers have clinched a share of the Big Ten regular season title. The Hoosiers can win the title outright with either a win at home against Ohio State on Tuesday or a win in Ann Arbor against the Wolverines next Sunday.
