Wolverine Spirit: A Deep Dive into University of Michigan Athletics

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The No. 24 University of Michigan men’s basketball squad (12-3; 4-0 B1G) triumphed over No. 22 UCLA (11-4; 2-2 B1G), with a score of 94-75, on Tuesday (Jan. 7) at Pauley Pavilion.

Leaders and Best

Vladislav Goldin topped all scorers with a career-high of 36 points, contributing seven rebounds. Tre Donaldson established career highs with 20 points, six three-pointers, and equaled his personal best with seven assists. Nimari Burnett added 15 points, making 3-of-4 attempts from beyond the arc, while Danny Wolf contributed 12 points along with eight rebounds.

Turning Point

As Goldin and Wolf were both sidelined with four fouls each, Donaldson delivered crucial minutes for Michigan, sinking two vital three-pointers that enabled the Wolverines to establish a 76-64 lead with seven minutes remaining.

Second Half

After Michigan led 47-37 at halftime, that advantage dissipated early in the second period, as UCLA embarked on a 17-4 run, seizing its first lead of the matchup at 52-51 around 14:12 left. UCLA’s lead extended to four points (55-51) before Donaldson ignited from long distance, leading a 19-6 Michigan surge over the following five minutes. Donaldson scored nine points during this span, with Goldin and Burnett securing five points each, putting Michigan ahead by 12 points (76-64) with 7:23 to go.

UCLA was unable to narrow the gap to fewer than nine points in the remaining time, with Michigan restricting the Bruins to merely 2-of-11 field goal efforts leading into the last media timeout. Simultaneously, Michigan remained effective, registering 6-for-8 from the field and finishing the contest with a 10-4 run to clinch the decisive 94-75 win.

First Half

Michigan surged to a strong 13-2 lead within the first four and a half minutes, as UCLA endured almost a four-minute scoring drought before the first media timeout. UCLA reacted quickly, scoring six unanswered points in less than a minute, but back-to-back baskets from Goldin induced a UCLA timeout, with Michigan leading 25-13.

With 7:52 left in the half, Goldin outperformed the Bruins alone, scoring 17 points to UCLA’s 15, as Michigan held a 28-15 lead. Michigan then triggered an 8-0 run in just over a minute, prompting another timeout from UCLA, resulting in the largest advantage of the game so far at 37-19. UCLA closed the half strong with a 10-2 spurt, but Michigan led 47-37 at halftime.

The 11 turnovers by Michigan in the first half permitted UCLA to remain competitive, and the Bruins concluded the half by converting six of their last eight field goal attempts. Throughout this half, Michigan made 62 percent of their attempts from long range, while the Bruins failed to convert any of their eight tries.

What’s Next

Michigan will head back to Ann Arbor to host Washington for conference play on Sunday (Jan. 12). The game will be streamed live on the Big Ten Network, with a scheduled tip-off at 2 p.m.

Notes

• Michigan’s 15 three-pointers represent the most that UCLA has conceded thus far this season.

• Donaldson’s new career-high of 20 points surpassed his previous record of 18 points set against Iowa (Dec. 7) earlier this season.

• Donaldson’s seven assists had previously been accomplished twice, most recently against Cleveland State (Nov. 4).

• Donaldson recorded his second consecutive game with four or more three-pointers and his fourth straight game with at least two.

• Goldin’s 36 points exceeded his former high of 26, which he achieved against Oklahoma (Dec. 18).