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Coming off the bench Crawford sparks Michigan past No. 22 Illinois
Posted: Sunday January 16, 2000 09:32 PM
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Nobody wanted to talk about why Jamal Crawford was on the Michigan bench for the first 14 minutes. Maybe they didn't need to. The freshman's play made enough of a statement. Crawford, benched for an undisclosed team violation, scored six of his 14 points in overtime as Michigan upset No. 22 Illinois 95-91 Sunday. "It was the result of some internal matters," said Brandon Smith, who made some key defensive plays late in the game. "You'll have to ask coach about it." But coach Brian Ellerbe wouldn't say. "It's a team matter," Ellerbe said. "The team will deal with it." It was the second straight overtime victory for the Wolverines (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten), who went two extra periods to win at Purdue Jan. 8. Illinois (9-6, 1-3) has lost three straight since a last-second win over Ohio State in its Big Ten opener. "We're shaken as a team," Illinois coach Lon Kruger said. "That comes from losing some real tough games. We need to put one in the win column." LaVell Blanchard led Michigan with 22 points, going 11-of-11 from the foul line. Cory Bradford scored 28, including 5-of-13 from 3-point range, for the Illini, who hurt themselves with 32 fouls. "We all knew that Mr. Bradford is a great ballplayer," Blanchard said. "Everyone in the country knows that." Blanchard, one of three Michigan freshmen who usually start, calls almost everyone "Mr." But an opponent like Bradford? "Well, I just really respect him as a ballplayer, and he helped prove that today," Blanchard said. "We're trying to prove to ourselves and to people out there that we can contend in this league. I think we're making progress." Michigan's Josh Asselin missed two free throws with 29.3 seconds remaining and the score tied at 82. Illinois was unable to get off a shot in the final seconds, sending the game into overtime. Sergio McClain, who had 15 points and 18 rebounds for Illinois, tied it at 91 on a driving layup with 2:27 left in overtime. Asselin, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds, put the Wolverines ahead for good with 49.5 seconds left, taking a pass in the paint from Kevin Gaines and slamming it home. "In the second half, Asselin was just terrific for them," Kruger said Crawford and Gaines made one free throw each after that. Still, the Illini had chances. Bradford missed a shot over Gaines in the lane with 20 seconds remaining and missed an off-balance jumper near the top of the key with 11.8 seconds left. "I credit them," Kruger said. "They did a nice job defensively, making it tough to get the ball to Cory, and we couldn't get the shot that we wanted." McClain's shot from the left corner just before the buzzer was blocked by Smith. "I was just trying to come out there and contest it, and I managed to get the ball," Smith said. Michigan, with Crawford on the bench, played a ragged first half. The Illini, with a 25-14 rebounding advantage -- 7-0 at the offensive end -- led 38-34 at halftime. But the Wolverines were stronger in the second half and Illinois only finished with a 45-43 rebounding edge.
"I thought we did a terrific job on the boards in the first
half," Kruger said. "In the second, they started to put a lot of
things together and managed to get a lot of loose balls."
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