Michigan Wolverines at Northwestern Wildcats
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Cason leads second-half rally as No. 2 Michigan knocks off Northwestern, 87-75
Yaxel Lendeborg added 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Wolverines (23-1, 13-1 Big Ten) erased a 16-point deficit in the second half of their ninth consecutive victory. Morez Johnson Jr., Aday Mara and Trey McKenney each scored 12 points.
Michigan grabbed control with a 15-2 run. Lendeborg made a tiebreaking layup with 5:51 left, and Mara's alley-oop jam off a pass from Cason gave the Wolverines a 75-69 lead with 4:43 remaining.
Michigan shot 55% (16 for 29) while outscoring Northwestern 52-31 in the second half of its 19th double-digit win this season.
Jayden Reid scored 20 points for the Wildcats in their fourth consecutive loss. Martinelli finished with 18 on 5-for-22 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds.
Northwestern used an 8-1 run to open a 58-42 lead with 14:22 left. Angelo Ciaravino capped the spurt with a jumper in the paint.
Michigan then got back in the game by scoring 16 of the next 18 points. Johnson's alley-oop dunk trimmed Northwestern's advantage to 60-58 with 9:38 to go, delighting a sizeable contingent of Michigan fans at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Lendeborg was 6 for 12 from the field. He has 45 rebounds in his last four games.
Northwestern got off to a fast start, holding Michigan to 35% shooting on its way to a 44-35 lead at the break. Reid scored 12 points in the first half on 5-for-5 shooting.
Northwestern visits No. 7 Nebraska on Saturday.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 87 - 75 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 87 - 75 |
| 2nd 0:23 | Yaxel Lendeborg Defensive Rebound. | 87 - 75 |
| 2nd 0:27 | Jake West misses 27-foot three point jumper | 87 - 75 |
| 2nd 0:35 | L.J. Cason makes free throw 2 of 2 | 87 - 75 |
Statistics
 MICH |
 NU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 30-69 | FG | 28-70 |
| 43 | Field Goal % | 40 |
| 8-29 | 3PT | 6-25 |
| 28 | Three Point % | 24 |
| 19-27 | FT | 13-14 |
| 70 | Free Throw % | 93 |
| 47 | Rebounds | 30 |
| 17 | Offensive Rebounds | 12 |
| 30 | Defensive Rebounds | 18 |
| 21 | Assists | 14 |
| 6 | Steals | 7 |
| 8 | Blocks | 7 |
| 12 | Turnovers | 8 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 12 | Total Turnovers | 8 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 1 | Flagrant Fouls | 1 |
| 11 | Points Off Turnovers | 16 |
| 7 | Fast Break Points | 11 |
| 42 | Points in Paint | 32 |
| 14 | Fouls | 22 |
| 12 | Largest Lead | 16 |
| 6 | Lead Changes | 6 |
| 21 | Percent Led | 71 |
Game Information
Location: Evanston, IL
Attendance: 7,039 | Capacity:
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 13-1 | - | 23-1 |
| Illinois | 11-3 | 2 | 20-5 |
| Nebraska | 10-3 | 2.5 | 21-3 |
| Purdue | 10-3 | 2.5 | 20-4 |
| Michigan State | 10-3 | 2.5 | 20-4 |
| Wisconsin | 9-4 | 3.5 | 17-7 |
| UCLA | 9-4 | 3.5 | 17-7 |
| Iowa | 8-5 | 4.5 | 18-6 |
| Indiana | 8-6 | 5 | 17-8 |
| Ohio State | 8-6 | 5 | 16-8 |
| USC | 7-7 | 6 | 18-7 |
| Minnesota | 4-9 | 8.5 | 11-13 |
| Washington | 4-10 | 9 | 12-13 |
| Maryland | 3-10 | 9.5 | 10-14 |
| Rutgers | 2-11 | 10.5 | 9-15 |
| Penn State | 2-12 | 11 | 11-14 |
| Northwestern | 2-12 | 11 | 10-15 |
| Oregon | 1-12 | 11.5 | 8-16 |