Defense and rebounding. That's what led to Michigan basketball's 14-point victory over Indiana on Tuesday night at the Crisler Center.
The Wolverines shot the ball well. They made 10 3-pointers. Nimari Burnett drilled three of those. Elliot Cadeau helped set the tone with two triples in the first half, while the front court was solid offensively, if not spectacular.
Yaxel Lendeborg still isn't quite right, at least offensively. His defensive intensity provided a spark, though. His length was a problem for Indiana. Michigan also dominated on the boards, thanks to Yaxel, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson.
Indiana is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. Certainly in the Big Ten, but the Wolverines held Indiana below 30 percent. Michigan wasn't perfect, but it was a solid win that felt like a step forward, while some other recent wins didn't feel that way.
Cadeau led Michigan with 19 points. Yaxel added 15, while Aday Mara managed 13. Trey McKenney pitched in 10, including two triples off the bench. Nimari Burnett also had nine, with all of his points coming on 3-point makes.
Here are the gut reactions.
Michigan won with defense and rebounding
The Wolverines have been a little up-and-down defensively. They were much better on Tuesday night, at least for much of the game. Indiana scored just 30 points in the first half. The Hoosiers shot 41 percent from the field and just 32 percent from 3-point range, even though they made 11.
Indiana shot 54 percent on 2-point attempts, which is a solid number against Michigan, but those stats improved over the last few minutes. Michigan needs to finish. The Wolverines have to focus on playing 40 minutes again; however, this felt like the best defensive effort of the past five games.
Michigan basketball also controlled the boards. The Wolverines had a 39-22 advantage overall, as well as an 11-5 advantage on the offensive glass, which led to 13 second-chance points.
2-point offense was better
For just the second time in the past five games, Michigan shot 60 percent or better on 2-point attempts. That number isn't what Michigan was shooting earlier in the season, and the Wolverines still aren't being quite as efficient around the rim, but Indiana allows teams to shoot just 44 percent on 2s, so the fact that Michigan was close to its season average was good to see.
Yaxel's defense was incredible
Yaxel Lendeborg made a major impact on the game, even though he scored just 15 points. Yaxel made just 5-of-11 shots from the field. He was 1-of-5 from 3-point range, but added seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. He was also 4-for-6 on 2-point attempts. That's a big improvement over the past five games.
Yaxel's injury might still be hindering him. Yet, he looked more like himself on defense, and the offense showed signs of coming around.