ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team shot a season-high 57 percent (13-for-23) from three-point range to defeat Toledo, 90-80, in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday night (March 14) inside Crisler Center.

Michigan (18-15) will advance to the second round of the NIT to face the winner of Vanderbilt and Yale on either Saturday, March 18 or Sunday, March 19. The location, date, and time are still to be determined.

Leaders and Best

Kobe Bufkin led Michigan with 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Joey Baker added a season-high 21 points on 73 percent (8-for-11) shooting. Hunter Dickinson scored 19 points and collected nine rebounds, and Dug McDaniel scored 16 points to go with eight assists.

The Turning Point

Late in the second half, Bufkin and Baker made consecutive fastbreak layups to give the Wolverines a three-possession lead, and Bufkin poured in a jumper on U-M's next possession to complete a 6-0 run. The stretch gave Michigan a nine-point advantage, and Toledo pulled no closer than seven the rest of the way as the Wolverines closed out the game with late free throws.

Second Half

The Wolverines made three straight three-pointers to open the second half, taking a seven-point lead behind the 9-0 run. The teams then traded baskets over the next four minutes, with Dickinson scoring the next seven U-M points. The Wolverine lead remained at seven until a three-pointer from Baker forced a Toledo timeout with 13:48 to play.

Toledo (27-8) outscored Michigan 12-5 over the next five minutes to pull within three points of the Wolverines, but a triple from McDaniel stretched the U-M lead to 69-63 with 8:47 remaining.

After the Rockets came within three points once again, U-M answered with a pair of fastbreak layups and Bufkin added a midrange jumper to cap off a 6-0 run that extended the Wolverines' lead to 78-69. With 4:30 before the final buzzer, Toledo countered with a score, but another three from Baker brought the Michigan advantage back to double digits.

Michigan only allowed Toledo to pull within seven down the stretch, sealing the win with late free throws.

First Half

Toledo took a 6-0 lead just over a minute into the game, taking advantage of a pair of turnovers on the Wolverines' first two possessions. Michigan made four of its next five field goal attempts to pull within one, but the Rockets responded with five unanswered points to force a U-M timeout with a 16-10 lead and 15:40 before the break.

The Maize and Blue made a 7-2 push out of the timeout to tie the game at 18, but Toledo responded with a 9-0 run to reclaim the advantage. The Wolverines did not allow a Toledo field goal over a four-minute stretch, during which Dickinson and Bufkin combined for 11 points to tie the game at 29.

Michigan continued to get the ball inside, scoring its next six points in the paint. A Dickinson dunk with just over four minutes remaining the half gave the Wolverines their first lead of the game at 35-33.

Toledo outscored Michigan 9-5 to close the half, with a three-pointer by JT Shumate coming in the final seconds to give the Rockets a 42-40 halftime lead.

What's Next

Michigan will advance to the second round of the NIT and face the winner of Vanderbilt/Yale on either Saturday, March 18 or Sunday, March 19. The location, date, and time are still to be determined.

Notes

• Kobe Bufkin completed his third-straight game with at least nine points, six rebounds and four assists. He has reached these thresholds in nine games this season.

• Bufkin scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half.

• In his fourth start of the season, Joey Baker set season-highs in points (21), field goals made (eight), and three-pointers made (five).  

• Dug McDaniel made a season-high four threes; all of McDaniel's 16 points came from three-pointers and free throws.

• Terrance Williams II grabbed seven rebounds off the bench, marking his 12th game of seven-or-more rebounds this season.

• Michigan finished 13-for-16 from the free throw line despite not attempting a free throw in the first half.

• The Wolverines held Toledo to just 1-for-13 from the field during an eight-minute stretch in the first half, which allowed U-M to erase a nine-point deficit before halftime.