The 1-seed Michigan Wolverines took down the 9-seed Saint Louis Billikens, 95-72, on Saturday afternoon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Buffalo, New York. Yaxel Lendeborg had a massive showing, scoring 25 points to help the Wolverines stay alive in the tournament.
Here’s how it all went down.
FIRST HALF
Both teams came out firing in the opening minutes, with Dion Brown converting the game’s first basket on a nice layup before Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau drilled a deep three to put the Wolverines
on the board.
After Saint Louis tied it up early, Brown knocked down a three of his own, and a back-and-forth stretch ensued. Amari McCottry converted a layup over Aday Mara before Mara responded with a jump hook on the other end. Billikins’ leading-scorer, Robbie Avila, hit a three to keep Saint Louis within striking distance. Through the early going, the Billikens were a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor.
Michigan quickly seized control, however, going on a 6-0 run to take a 13-10 lead at the 16:10 mark. Nimari Burnett drained a three, Mara swatted a shot on the other end, and Lendeborg converted inside to cap the surge. The Wolverines started 5-for-6 from the field, matching Saint Louis’ pace and scoring.
Out of the first break, Morez Johnson Jr. added a bucket down low, Cadeau drew a second foul on Avila to keep the pressure on, and Mara converted a jump hook over Avila before converting an insane reverse alley-oop, capping a 13-2 run and pushing the lead to 20-12.
Saint Louis refused to go away, however, responding with a 9-0 run to reclaim a 21-20 lead. Brady Dunlap came off the bench and drilled back-to-back threes, and Paul Otieno added a second-chance layup to fuel the run. The Billikens were getting huge contributions from their bench — 15 early points — with most of the damage coming while Avila sat with two fouls. Saint Louis went on a 15-3 run to take a 27-23 lead.
However, keeping with the trend of multiple lead swings in the first half, Cadeau halted the bleeding with a tough layup, Trey McKenney provided an immediate spark off the bench by drilling a three, and Will Tschetter added a layup to cap a 7-0 run and regained the lead, 30-27.
The lead changes kept coming, but Michigan eventually pulled away for good at the end of the first half thanks to an 8-0 run.
Lendeborg capped the half in memorable fashion, slamming an alley-oop to push the Wolverines’ lead to double digits as part of a 14-3 run over the final five minutes.
The first half featured seven lead changes and was a one-possession game as late as the seven-minute mark, but Michigan ultimately dominated the final stretch. The Wolverines shot 53 percent from the floor and 60 percent from three while limiting the Billikens to 45 percent shooting and 29 percent from deep.
HALFTIME: MICHIGAN 48, Saint Louis 39
SECOND HALF
The second half picked up right where the first left off, with an absurd 29 points in the first five minutes. Johnson converted on Michigan’s first possession, Burnett drained another three and Lendeborg swatted away a shot for the Wolverines’ seventh block of the game. Mara added a turnaround jumper over Avila to momentarily keep the lead comfortable.
But Saint Louis fired back. Avila finally got hot with back-to-back threes, Trey Green sank a deep three and Quentin Jones hit a three and a floater to cut the deficit to four. Michigan needed answers and got them emphatically, as Mara and Lendeborg threw down huge dunks.
Michigan then went on a dominant 7-0 run to push the lead to double digits. McKenney drilled a three, Lendeborg threw down a poster before draining a three of his own, Gayle converted a pair of free throws and Burnett added a layup to cap the surge. The Wolverines had the 73-58 lead with 10:30 remaining.
Sharma hit a deep three to keep Saint Louis alive, but Lendeborg converted a pair of free throws and Johnson rattled off six straight points to push the lead to 18. The game had turned into a dunk contest at that point, capped by Saint Louis’ 6-foot-6 Kellen Thames throwing down a poster on Mara, but Michigan was firmly in control at 81-63.
The Billikens continued to go cold from the field, failing to make a field goal for more than four minutes, and Michigan extended its lead even more off Burnett’s third triple of the game, and Lendeborg adding a hook shot and a made three to take a 90-66 lead.
The Wolverines emptied their bench and cruised to victory in the final four minutes, 95-72.
Saturday was easily the Wolverines’ best game of the last two months, as they ended the contest shooting 56 percent from the field and 48 percent from three. Their defense was stifling, limiting Saint Louis to 44 percent from the field and 31 percent from three.
FINAL SCORE: MICHIGAN 95, SAINT LOUIS 72
MICHIGAN STAT LEADERS
- F Yaxel Lendeborg: 25 points, 6 rebounds
- C Aday Mara: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks
- F Morez Johnson Jr: 15 points, 8 rebounds
- G Elliot Cadeau: 12 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds
- G Nimari Burnett: 11 points, 4 rebounds
SAINT LOUIS STAT LEADERS
- G Amari McCottry: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
- G Dion Brown: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
- C Robbie Avila: 9 points, 5 assists
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will take on the winner of 5-seed Texas Tech and 4-seed Alabama next Friday in the Sweet Sixteen in Chicago, Illinois. Stay tuned for broadcast info and the tip-off time.
