The Michigan Wolverines opened their national title defense and a new era under first-year head coach Mike Boynton Jr. with a 84-68 win over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the regular season opener at Crisler Center on Monday.
Here’s the recap, highlights and stats.
FIRST HALF
Both teams traded punches in the early stages and the Wolverines took an 8-5 lead entering the first media timeout. Michigan forward JP Estrella scored
four straight points, including a fast-break layup to help grab an early advantage.
Following the break in action, Estrella finished another bucket and forward Quinn Costello drilled a three-pointer to put the Wolverines up, 13-8. But Oakland answered with a 10-0 run to take an 13-8 lead with 11:43 left in the first half.
Michigan had a response of its own, as Roddy Gayle Jr. sank a floater and threw a no-look dime to Oscar Goodman for a layup. In just over a minute, Michigan put together an 8-0 run to take a 21-18 lead.
The Wolverines continued to dominate the ensuing minutes, as Trey McKenney knocked down a three-pointer and finished an and-one reverse layup. Estrella also scored a hook shot to cap off a 16-1 run and extend the lead to 29-19.
Just moments later, McKenney stayed hot by hitting another three-pointer to go up 39-31. In the final seconds of the half, Cadeau found Gayle for an alley-oop slam to get the Crisler Center crowd on its feet and take a 47-36 lead at halftime.
HALFTIME: Michigan 47, Oakland 36
SECOND HALF
After finishing the first half with a bang, Michigan came out sluggish to start the second half by scoring just two points and compiling four turnovers in the first four minutes. Oakland was able to trim the deficit to 49-43 with 15:35 to go.
The Wolverines went scoreless for over three minutes, allowing Oakland to stay within striking distance, but Costello finally ended the drought with a deep three-pointer. Cadeau also made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 54-43.
Michigan’s defense started to suffocate Oakland as well, forcing six straight missed shots. Meanwhile, Costello drilled another three-pointer and Kenny Noland got in on the action with a triple of his own to go up 62-47 with 11:21 left.
Oakland continued to hang around until the Wolverines turned it up a notch with a 9 -0 run to push the lead to 71-55. Goodman slid into the lane with a euro-step and finished a layup, and Gayle hit a floater in the lane to seize momentum.
It certainly wasn’t a perfect performance, but Michigan did enough to get the job done and start the season with a win. The Wolverines were led by 17 points apiece by Gayle and McKenney, and Estrella’s 15-point, 12-rebound double-double.
MICHIGAN STAT LEADERS
- G Trey McKenney: 17 points, 4 rebounds
- G Roddy Gayle Jr: 17 points, 3 rebounds
- F JP Estrella: 15 points, 12 rebounds
- F Quinn Costello: 13 points, 3 rebounds
- G Elliot Cadeau: 7 points, 6 assists
OAKLAND STAT LEADERS
- F Chris Fields Jr: 18 points, 10 rebounds
- G Nassim Mashhour: 16 points, 4 rebounds
- G Ryder Bradley: 12 points, 6 rebounds
UP NEXT
Michigan will face the UConn Huskies in a National Championship rematch on Friday in Boston (8 p.m. on TNT, truTV and HBO Max).
