The Michigan Wolverines fought off the rival Ohio State Buckeyes to secure a thrilling 86-83 win on Sunday afternoon. Dusty May’s team forged ahead in the final minutes of a back-and-forth affair to stay in first place in the Big Ten.

In a game that saw 16 lead changes and 11 ties, Michigan found a way to improve to 20-5 overall and and 12-2 in Big Ten play. Vlad Goldin led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Danny Wolf posted 17 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Michigan racked up 46 points in the paint and 22 bench points, to go along with an impressive 46-31 rebounding advantage. Roddy Gayle Jr. finished with nine points and eight rebounds, including a massive clutch bucket in his return to Ohio State.

Here’s how it all went down.

FIRST HALF

Michigan got off to a quality start on the offensive end as Wolf connected with Goldin for three baskets in the first five minutes. Burnett also drilled consecutive three-pointers to take a 12-10 lead going into the initial media timeout.

Both offenses continued to find success early on as Ohio State knocked down four consecutive shots to go up 21-16. But the Wolverines quickly answered, putting together an 8-0 run to regain the lead midway through the opening half.

Michigan came up with a series of key plays on the defensive side by forcing three straight turnovers, including a steal and fast-break slam for Rubin Jones. Just moments later, Will Tschetter hit a three-pointer to help Michigan grab a 31-29 advantage.

The Wolverines eventually took a 44-39 lead at halftime after Goldin beat the buzzer with a put-back layup. Goldin led all scorers in the first half with 12 points and was a huge reason Michigan racked up 18 points in the paint and held a 21-15 advantage in rebounds.

SECOND HALF

Ohio State’s offense woke back up in the early stages of the second half, as John Mobley Jr. drilled consecutive triples to help tie it. Bruce Thornton followed that up with a layup to give the Buckeyes a 65-63 lead with 12:43 left.

Wolf weaved into the paint and scored on the other end to help Michigan tie it back up going into the under-12 timeout. Coming out of the huddle, Goldin threw down a dunk from former Buckeye Roddy Gayle Jr. as the Wolverines went up 67-65.

Clinging to a 71-70 lead with less than eight minutes left, Burnett knocked down a three-pointer to extend the advantage. Wolf scored on the next two possessions, highlighted by a fall away jumper, as Michigan led 78-73 with 5:12 remaining.

Ohio State came back to tie it with two minutes left before Gayle and Wolf scored to put the Wolverines back on top. The Buckeyes had a chance to force overtime, but Thornton’s floater came up short as Michigan survived with a road win.

UP NEXT

The Wolverines will host the rival Michigan State Spartans in a battle between the Big Ten’s top teams on Friday at 8 p.m. on FOX. Michigan State is 20-5 and 11-3 in conference play, which is currently just one game behind Michigan for first place.