The seventh-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team led wire-to-wire Friday night (Jan. 22) as the Wolverines defeated Purdue by a score of 70-53 at Mackey Arena.

Michigan (13-1, 8-1 Big Ten) continued a display of tenacious defense as the league's top unit limited Purdue (11-6, 6-4 Big Ten) to season lows in points (53) and shooting percentage (30.8 percent) as the Boilermakers suffered their first home loss of the season. Purdue came into play averaging 71.4 points on 45.5 percent shooting.

With the win, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard remains undefeated in Mackey Arena (3-0 as a player, 2-0 as a coach).

The Wolverines jumped out 14-4 lead on a Mike Smith corner triple at the 12:20 mark. Purdue edged back into the game, but Michigan kept grinding away thanks to its league-leading defensive prowess. The Wolverines held Purdue scoreless for a 5:30 span in the first half, helping U-M to maintain its double-figure lead with balanced scoring.

A cutting layup from Eli Brooks was followed by driving layups from Brandon Johns Jr., and Franz Wagner to make it 29-15, Michigan. Moments later, and with under a minute to go in the first half, Isaiah Livers struck with a three-pointer from the wing to give U-M its largest lead of the half, 34-19, en route to a 34-21 halftime margin. Livers led all scorers in the opening half with 12 points (4-for-8 field goals, 2-for-3 three-pointers).

Livers opened the second half in the same fashion, dropping another long triple for a 39-21 lead coming out of the break. Purdue got as close as 10 points just once. Each time the Boilermakers started to edge closer, Michigan clamped down and kept a comfortable distance, including a 57-40 margin with 8:41 to play following a nifty left-handed baseline layup from Wagner. The Wolverines shot 50 percent in the second half to overcome 10 turnovers in the final 20 minutes of play.

Livers finished with a game-high 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, and led U-M with 10 rebounds against Purdue's sizable frontcourt. Brooks also finished in double figures with 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting. The balanced scoring saw eight different players log at least four points.

Trevion Williams led Purdue with 14 points (6-19 FG) and 11 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass.

Michigan will return to the court on Thursday (Jan. 27) at Penn State in a makeup of their postponed game from Jan. 9. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.