Local Teams

Mike Smith had 18 points and a Big Ten tournament-record 15 assists as No. 4 Michigan pulled away to a 79-66 victory over Maryland in a heated quarterfinal game at Indianapolis on Friday.

Michigan coach Juwan Howard and Maryland coach Mark Turgeon exchanged words during a timeout midway through the second half. Howard had to be restrained by his assistants and was assessed a double technical, resulting in his ejection. Turgeon was assessed one technical.

Franz Wagner and Eli Brooks contributed 16 points apiece for the top-seeded Wolverines (20-3). Chaundee Brown Jr. added 10 points and Austin Davis chipped in six points and eight rebounds.

Eric Ayala led eighth-seeded Maryland (16-13) with 19 points. Darryl Morsell supplied 16 points, six rebounds and three assists and Aaron Wiggins had 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Michigan faces fifth-seeded Ohio State in Saturday's semfinal matchup.

Michigan had an 11-2 run early in the second half to gain a 51-42 lead. Hunter Dickinson converted a pair of layups and Smith knocked down a pair of jumpers, including a 3-pointer. Wagner completed the run with a layup.

Morsell scored five straight points to cut the Wolverines' lead to four. Brooks and Wagner then made 3-pointers to push Michigan's lead back to 57-47.

Following Howard's ejection, the Terrapins scored five straight points to cut the Wolverines' lead in half. The Wolverines responded with an 8-0 run, including five points from Brooks, to make it 65-52 with 7:23 remaining.

After Maryland closed the gap to six points, Smith put the game away during a 9-0 Michigan spurt. He set up a Brown basket, then made a 3-point shot. He tacked on two free throws and a mid-range jumper for a 76-61 Wolverines lead.

The Terrapins were up 36-24 with less than five minutes remaining in the opening half. The Wolverines ended the half with a 16-2 outburst to gain a 40-38 lead.

Smith was the catalyst, as he dished out four of his nine first-half assists during that span along with making two free throws. His interior pass to Wagner for a layup in the closing seconds put Michigan on top.

--Field Level Media