No. 5 Michigan stays unbeaten, tops South Carolina 89-78

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Jordan Poole scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half, and No. 5 Michigan remained unbeaten with an 89-78 victory over South Carolina on Saturday.

The Gamecocks (4-5) scored more points than any team all season against Michigan. But the Wolverines (10-0) were ahead by six at halftime, and they led comfortably for most of the second half.

Iggy Brazdeikis scored 17 points and Jon Teske added 15 for Michigan. Chris Silva led South Carolina with 18.

Michigan was coming off its first close game of the season – a two-point win at Northwestern on Tuesday night. The Wolverines were uncharacteristically careless against South Carolina, turning the ball over 11 times in the first half.

Still, Michigan went on a 13-2 run near the end of the first and led 42-36 at halftime.

Poole went to work in the second half with a pair of 3-pointers and a dunk, putting the Wolverines up 56-45. The sophomore guard scored 15 points in the first 10 minutes of the half.

KEY STATS
> Michigan had 30 free throw attempts (23 makes) to Carolina’s 14 – the Wolverines were also +13 in rebounding margin (37-24).
 
NOTABLES
> Senior forward Chris Silva had his third double-double of the season (18^th career) with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He matched a season-high with seven made FGs.   
> Junior big man Maik Kotsar matched a career high with 16 points, going an efficient 7-for-10 from the field.  
> Freshman wing Keyshawn Bryant had a strong second half, scoring all 13 of his points (6-for-9) the final 20 minutes. He played a career-high 31 minutes in his third-straight start.
> Freshman guard A.J. Lawson finished with 10 points, his seventh game of the season in double figures. He led the team with five assists and three steals.
> The Gamecocks dominated the paint, outscoring Michigan 44-26.
> Carolina shot 52 percent (32-for-62) in the game (57 percent in the second half), the first team to shoot greater than 45 percent against the Wolverines this season. Michigan ranks in the top-five nationally in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.

UP NEXT
The Gamecocks have some time off before returning to the hardwood on Dec. 19 against No. 4 Virginia. The non-conference clash, which tips at 7 p.m. ET, will be televised on the SEC Network. Carolina has a quick turnaround, as it squares off with instate rival Clemson at Colonial Life Arena on Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.