MADISON, Wis. — Duncan Robinson earned his first start in a month after putting on a 3-point shooting clinic at practice.
He rewarded coach John Beilein’s trust and kept hitting from long distance in the first half against Wisconsin.
Robinson scored 16 points and made all four of his 3s in the first half, Moe Wagner had 20 points and 11 rebounds and No. 20 Michigan rode a hot-shooting start for an 83-72 win on Sunday. The Wolverines (20-7, 9-5) won on the road for the first time since upsetting Michigan State on Jan. 13.
This time, Michigan had to hold on after allowing much of its 22-point halftime lead slip away in the second half.
“Our defense in the first half was very good; second half not as good,” coach John Beilein said. “We did not execute down the stretch. It melted a little bit.”
But the Wolverines made more than enough shots and stops in the first half to hold off the Badgers.
The Wolverines started 12 of 16 overall and 7 of 9 from 3-point range. Robinson was 5 of 9 from the field, including 4 of 7 from 3, in his first start since Jan. 9 against Purdue.
“I watched this kid the other day. There was a goal of making 48 3s in 40 minutes. He made 50 in 55 shots,” Beilein said about Robinson. “You’re not going to make them if you don’t shoot them.”
Forward Ethan Happ led Wisconsin (11-16, 4-10) with a season-high 29 points, including 18 on 7-of-10 shooting in the second half.
Xavier Simpson had four points and six assists for Michigan.
Cincinnati 76, SMU 51
DALLAS — Kyle Washington had 17 points with eight rebounds and No. 6 Cincinnati remained undefeated in American Athletic Conference play, stretching its overall winning streak to 16 games with a 76-51 victory over short-handed SMU on Sunday.
The Bearcats (23-2, 12-0 AAC) missed their first seven shots in the game, but were down only 5-2 when they finally scored just more than 3 minutes in on a dunk by Nysier Brooks. That started a 9-0 run that put them ahead to stay.
Jarron Cumberland had 12 points and Gary Clark 11 for Cincinnati, which finished 44 percent (28 of 63) overall from the field. Washington was 8-of-12 shooting.
Jimmy Whitt and Jahmal McMurray each had 19 points for SMU, which has lost three straight and seven of 10. It was still only the second loss for the Mustangs in 40 home games coached by Tim Jankovich.
This was the most-lopsided loss by SMU (15-10, 5-7) in its five seasons as an AAC member. The previous low mark was a 76-56 loss at Cincinnati just a month ago, when the Mustangs still had a full roster.
SMU was down to six available scholarship players for the rematch with preseason AAC player of the year Shake Milton missing his third straight game because of an injured right hand.
The Bearcats now have their longest winning streak in coach Mick Cronin’s 12 seasons.
Women
South Florida 84, Ohio State 65
TAMPA, Fla. — Kitija Laksa scored a career-high 41 points, 18 in a decisive first quarter, and South Florida went on to defeat No. 13 Ohio State 84-65 on Sunday.
Maria Jespersen added 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls (20-5), who won their fourth straight to reach 20 wins for the sixth straight season. Laia Flores had 11 assists and eight rebounds as the Bulls outrebounded Ohio State 46-26.
Stephanie Mavunga had 28 points on 13-of-16 shooting for the Buckeyes (20-6), who had won four straight. Kelsey Mitchell added 19.
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
