Glenn Robinson III hits game-winner, stuns Purdue in overtime with 77-76 Michigan win

Michigan forward Glenn Robinson III, right, is hugged by teammates Spike Albrecht, left, and Caris LeVert after hitting a game-winning shot as time expired in overtime against Purdue to secure a 77-76 win at Mackey Arena on Wednesday night.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Michigan's Glenn Robinson III ended Wednesday night center stage at his father's old stomping ground.

He was the last player remaining on Purdue's home floor, fielding an interview by the Big Ten Network. He smiled wide. He'd left the Mackey Arena crowd stunned and dejected.

Robinson -- catching a long cross-court, in-bounds pass from teammate Caris LeVert with 2.9 seconds left -- banked in an are-you-kidding-me, game-winning shot to seal a 77-76 overtime victory for the Wolverines.

Stunned silence filled an arena that had been ready to celebrate a Purdue win.

The victory kept Michigan (20-7, 12-3) alone atop the Big Ten standings, pushing its lead over second-place Michigan State to a full game.

Robinson led U-M's four double-digit scorers with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 39 minutes.

His big game came with his father, ex-Purdue star Glenn Robinson, looking on.

The Wolverines erased a 14-point deficit with just more than 11 minutes to go in regulation and a six-point Purdue lead with 3:24 left to force overtime. The second-half rally helped to overcome the Wolverines' 8-for-27 first-half shooting and a 37-24 halftime hole.

Purdue fell to 15-13 overall and 5-10 in the Big Ten, after being outscored 12-11 in overtime. Michigan made 6 of 10 shots in the extra session, following a 65-65 tie.

Despite never falling into an offensive rhythm, Michigan put the pieces together to erase a 63-57 Purdue lead with just more than 3 minutes to go.

Turning defensive stops into points -- something that had been missing all night -- U-M took two free throws apiece from LeVert and Nik Stauskas, along with a driving layup by LeVert, and tied the game at 63-63 with under 2 minutes left.

Two more Stauskas free throws knotted the game at 65 for the game's final minute.

Looking to take the lead with under 30 seconds remaining, Purdue instead went into fits as sophomore guard Ronnie Johnson was whistled for an offensive foul drawn by U-M's Spike Albrecht.

Holding a chance to win and 15 seconds to play, Michigan could only muster a deep, leaning 3-point attempt by Stauskas with the game clock expiring.

With Purdue leading 45-34 with under 14 minutes to go, Michigan reeled off a quick 9-0 run in just two minutes lead to turn a sleepy, lifeless game in to a late-season battle.

Just like that, Purdue led just 45-43 with 11:42 left.

It was Michigan's Zak Irvin who woke everyone up.

Playing just 70 miles from his hometown of Fishers, Ind. Irvin hit a 3-pointer and two free throws in the 9-0 spurt and followed that a few minutes later with another 3 to get Michigan within one, 50-49, with 9:14 left.

Irvin finished with eight points, while Stauskas scored 15 and LeVert added 14.

On Tuesday, Michigan senior Jordan Morgan noted that the Wolverines were "going to have a very serious approach to these last four games."

Purdue also came into Wednesday's game with a serious approach. The Boilermakers pounced from the opening tip, jumping to an early 14-4 lead thanks to 1-for-9 shooting by U-M.

An early scare coincided with Purdue's hot start.

Less than a minute after the opening tip, Stauskas drove baseline, crashing into bodies on an out-of-control circus shot. The fling from the sophomore missed, but those in blue were far more concerned with the sight of Stauskas shaking his right hand up and down.

He was pulled out of the game to see a U-M trainer, but returned minutes later.

Meanwhile, Purdue's Terone Johnson was stealing the show. After being held to single digits in five of the last seven games, the Boilermakers' leading scorer blistered Michigan by making five of his first six shots, including four 3-pointers.

Johnson scored 13 points in a 17-4 run that gave Purdue a 27-8 lead with 7:40 to go until halftime.

Michigan chipped away at the advantage, but fumbled a golden opportunity to cut the lead to seven at halftime. Following a Purdue turnover in the final minute of the half, U-M's Derrick Walton Jr. overthrew an outlet pass, resulting in a turnover.

Purdue made the best of it, adding two late field goals for its 37-24 halftime lead.

Still atop the Big Ten, Michigan next hosts Minnesota on Saturday at Crisler Center.


HIGHLIGHTS
-- Michigan outscored Purdue 41-28 in the second half and 12-11 in overtime to steal a win that looked out of reach for most of the night.

-- Glenn Robinson III, who has faced more criticism than any other Wolverine this season, scored the game-winning layup and a game-high 17 points.

-- Michigan erased a 14-point deficit with just over 11 minutes to go in regulation and a six-point Purdue lead with 3:24 left to force overtime. The second-half rally helped to erase the Wolverines' 8-for-27 first-half shooting.

-- After playing just seven minutes in Michigan's win over Michigan State last weekend, freshman Zak Irvin returned to his role as off-the-bench spark-plug. Despite being held scoreless in the first half, Irvin added eight key points in the second half.


LOWLIGHTS
-- Struggling to defend the perimeter, Michigan allowed Purdue guards Terone and Ronnie Johnson to combine for 43 points including five made 3-pointers. Terone Johnson, a senior and Ronnie's older brother, keyed the Boilermakers' early 27-8 advantage with 13 points in a 17-4 first-half run.

-- Trying to breathe life into a stagnate Michigan offense, Nik Stauskas forced the issue offensively for much of the night. The sophomore guard went 3-for-10 in a sloppy first half and finished with 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting.

Brendan F. Quinn covers University of Michigan basketball. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on Wolverines hoops. He can be contacted at bquinn@mlive.com

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