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Iowa Routs Injury-Plagued Michigan 72-54

By NOAH TRISTER/AP Sports Writer

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Jarrod Uthoff and Iowa snapped a brief losing streak in style, by handing Michigan its most lopsided home loss in over four years.

Uthoff had 16 points and nine rebounds, and the Hawkeyes scored the final 12 points of the first half en route to a 72-54 victory over the Wolverines on Thursday night. Michigan had not been beaten this badly at home since a 23-point loss to Purdue on Dec. 28, 2010.

Iowa snapped a three-game skid.

"We were just clicking. We were playing as one," Uthoff said. "There was a couple moments when they made a run, and the crowd started getting into it. ... There's so many big plays that just kept us going."

Iowa (14-8, 5-4 Big Ten) led 31-21 and halftime and extended that margin early in the second. A 3-pointer by Aubrey Dawkins brought Michigan within nine with 8:07 remaining, but Uthoff answered with a 3 that started a 12-2 run that gave Iowa a 64-45 advantage.

The Wolverines, playing without injured guards Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton, did not score for the final 6:58 of the first half.

Dawkins led Michigan with 16 points, but the Wolverines (13-10, 6-5) continue to be plagued by extended scoring droughts. They were held without a point in overtime in a loss at Michigan State on Sunday, and they never really threatened Iowa after the Hawkeyes built a comfortable lead.

"I think you have to go back quite a few years to see a game like that played at Crisler," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "You have to give a lot of credit to Iowa. They were terrific."

Mike Gesell scored 14 points for the Hawkeyes, and Aaron White added 13. Iowa shot 63 percent from the field. Adam Woodbury scored 11 points, and Peter Jok contributed 10.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored 11 points for Michigan, and Spike Albrecht added 10. It was those two who helped the Wolverines nearly upset the Spartans over the weekend, but they didn't produce quite as much against Iowa, and Zak Irvin was held to seven points on 3-of-10 shooting.

The Wolverines have faced an uphill climb to make the NCAA tournament, and this loss leaves them with an even more daunting task. Michigan's next two games are on the road against Indiana and Illinois, and then the Wolverines host Michigan State and Ohio State.

Iowa is by no means assured an NCAA berth either, but the Hawkeyes have road wins this season over North Carolina, Ohio State, Minnesota and now Michigan.

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TIP-INS

Iowa: The Hawkeyes outrebounded Michigan 33-17.

Michigan: The Wolverines were outscored 42-16 in the paint.

EFFECTIVE ZONE

Michigan has had some success with zone defense this season, but it was Iowa's zone that helped swing this game after the Wolverines looked comfortable offensively in the early going.

"We got some consecutive stops in that sequence, and we got some run-outs," Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery said. "The defense was good, and consequently the offense was good. They were cooking pretty good against our man. ... So we made the change, and it was very effective."

Beilein said it's hard for his team to excel in any phase of the game when the Wolverines are having to try so many different things.

"I run out of practice time," he said. "We're just grasping for straws right now, trying to find - that's probably the poor word. We're just searching really, really hard to find the best way for us to play as a team, and then you have to change that a little bit for the next opponent, because they're all different."

T'D UP

White was called for two technical fouls less than two minutes apart in the second half. The second was for hanging on the rim after a dunk that put Iowa up 46-28. Hanging on the rim is a Class B technical, and White was not ejected.

UP NEXT.

Michigan plays at Indiana on Sunday.

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