The Michigan Wolverines blew past the La Salle Explorers on Sunday at Crisler Center, 102-50, to remain unbeaten with an 11-0 overall record. Freshman Trey McKenney led all scorers with 17 points as the Wolverines recorded a seventh consecutive win by double digits.
Here’s how it all went down.
First half
Michigan got off to a slow start, going scoreless in the first two minutes of the game before Elliot Cadeau connected on a three-pointer. Nimari Burnett then stole the ball and found Yaxel Lendeborg for a layup
to take an early lead.
La Salle certainly didn’t come out scared and had a 10-9 lead in the early stages, but the Wolverines responded with a 13-2 run. L.J. Cason and Trey McKenney combined to score 11 straight points off the bench to put Michigan up 22-12.
Following a media timeout, the Wolverines continued to build on the double-figure lead. Lendeborg found Aday Mara for an and-one, then Lendeborg finished a layup to extend the lead to 31-12 with 8:32 left in the half.
Cadeau completely took over for a stretch as well, scoring eight straight points including an acrobatic reverse layup. Michigan had a huge halftime lead after dominating bench points (25-10) and points off turnovers (19-8).
Halftime: Michigan 54, La Salle 33
Second half
Michigan started the second half with a bang by quickly putting together a 9-0 run, highlighted by Lendeborg showing off his versatility with an assist to Mara for an alley-oop dunk. That was followed by a slam dunk to extend the lead to 67-37.
Mara’s impressive performance continued as well. The center hit a hook shot, recorded a block and picked up an assist to Cason all within a short span, to help Michigan build a 40-point lead for the fifth time this season.
Due to having such a sizable lead, the Wolverines took out the starters with about six minutes left and coasted to a win. Michigan finished the game with a significant edge in paint points (36-20), points off turnovers (25-10) and steals (10-4).
McKenney racked up a game-high 17 points on 3-for-5 shooting from three-point territory, while Mara compiled 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Cadeau scored in double figures for a fourth straight game, posting 14 points in the victory.
Final score: Michigan 102, La Salle 50
Michigan stat leaders
- G Trey McKenney: 17 points
- C Aday Mara: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists
- G Elliot Cadeau: 14 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds
- G L.J. Cason: 13 points, 4 assists
- F Morez Johnson Jr.: 10 points, 4 rebounds
La Salle stat leaders
- G Jaeden Marshall: 15 points, 2 assists
- G Ashton Walker: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
- F Josiah Harris: 8 points, 4 rebounds
Up next
Michigan will have more than a week off before returning to face McNeese on Monday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.
