ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Jamison Battle scored a season-high 27 points — with 21 coming after halftime — as Minnesota launched a ferocious rally in the second period to beat Michigan 75-65 on Saturday night.
Payton Willis added 17 points, Luke Loewe 14 and E.J. Stephens 13 for the Golden Gophers (8-1, 1-1 Big Ten), who secured the first conference win for coach Ben Johnson.
Willis and Battle scored 34 of Minnesota’s 43 points in the second half. Willis scored seven early in the period as the Gophers pushed their opening run 15-4, leading 47-40 with 3-pointers from Willis, Loewe and Battle.
Jamison Battle looks to make a play against Caleb Houstan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
Minnesota, which was 2-for-8 from distance in the first half, made four 3-pointers in the second. Willis hit a deep, straightaway 3 to give Minnesota a 10-point lead with 9:22 remaining.
Hunter Dickinson led Michigan (6-4, 1-1) with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double this season. Dickenson was held to five points on 2-for-7 shooting in the second half after making seven of his first eight shots for 14 first-half points and boosting Michigan to a 36-32 halftime lead.
Devante’ Jones added 14 points and Eli Brooks 12 for the Wolverines.
A Brooks drive pulled Michigan as close as 68-62 with 3:16 to play but Battle was 6 of 6 at the line and Willis added another free throw.
There were seven lead change six ties first half, but Minnesota took control in the second and never trailed over the last 17:29..
Next up for Minnesota is hosting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday. Michigan plays visiting Southern Utah on Dec. 18.
Students expressing solidarity with Palestinians and protesting Israel’s war in Gaza have set up encampments on campuses around the UK. Around 15 encampments have emerged…
Glen Powell addressed rumors that he could replace Tom Cruise in the "Mission Impossible" franchise. Powell said that his mother "would never let" him star in the "death trap" movies.
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/montreal-skyline.jpg?id=55321888&width=2000&height=1500&coordinates=210%2C0%2C210%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>If you've been feeling like living in Montreal has become more of a challenge lately, you're not imagining it.</p><p> The Globe and Mail just released its second annual ranking of <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/best-cities-in-canada-work-life-balance-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canada's most livable cities</a>, and Montreal has taken a serious tumble.
</p><p> While we're no strangers to heated debates about how Montreal stacks up against the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/world-best-cities-montreal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best cities in Canada</a>, this year's results have given us plenty to chew on.
</p><p>That's right — the city often celebrated as a cultural hub and <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal-best-places-to-travel-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">international destination</a> didn't even crack the top 150 in Canada. For 2024, Montreal now sits at a disappointing #171, after plummeting 29 spots from last year's already low rank of #142.</p><p> The <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/article-most-livable-cities-canada-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ranking</a> evaluated 448 communities across Canada using 50 variables across 10 categories the Globe deemed crucial when considering moving to a city — things like health care, education, local economy, housing, safety and amenities.
</p><p> This year, new metrics were added, including long-term climate change impacts and the availability of museums and galleries, with the goal of painting a more detailed picture of what makes a city desirable beyond just affordability.
</p><p> It's worth noting that the ranking looked at municipalities rather than metropolitan areas or census divisions. Therefore, suburbs and neighbouring cities within Greater Montreal — including enclaves like Mount Royal and Westmount — are all ranked individually. And most of them outshine the city itself.
</p><p> For instance, Mount Royal ranked in lofty 18th place — the highest-ranking spot in Quebec — while Westmount came in at a respectable #34. Meanwhile, West Island suburbs like Kirkland (#103), Beaconsfield (#107) and Pointe-Claire (#118) also ranked way higher than Montreal.
</p><p> This fragmented approach could partly explain why the City of Montreal struggles to compete against big cities like Toronto, whose wealthier suburbs like North York and Etobicoke are part of the larger municipality.
</p><p> Other Greater Montreal municipalities that outranked the city itself include Boucherville (#38), Rosemère (#45), La Prairie (#58) and Laval (#69). </p><p>Meanwhile, the province's other bigger cities like Quebec City (#46), Lévis (#57) and Gatineau (#121) also ranked much higher than Montreal, despite our strengths in education (#4 in Canada) and amenities (#9). Dismal scores in climate (#425), economy (#433), and safety (#445 — yes, out of 448) pushed the city down the rankings.
</p><p> Nationally, the top three cities were all in B.C.: North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Victoria. Vancouver proper ranked a respectable 12th, and Toronto ranked at #82 — not much to write home about, but then again, who are we to judge?</p><p>Here are the top 10 most livable cities in Canada for 2024, according to the Globe and Mail:</p><ol><li>North Vancouver, B.C.</li><li>West Vancouver, B.C.</li><li>Victoria, B.C.</li><li>Winnipeg, Manitoba</li><li>Regina, Saskatchewan</li><li>Saskatoon, Saskatchewan</li><li>Calgary, Alberta</li><li>Pitt Meadows, B.C.</li><li>Penticton, B.C.</li><li>Oakville, Ontario</li></ol><p><span></span>For a city that has so much going for it, it stings to see Montreal lagging so far behind. But if there's one thing Montrealers excel at, it's turning setbacks into motivation. </p><p>Could 2025 see a comeback? Only time — and perhaps a bit of collaboration across the island — will tell.</p><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em>
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