The Michigan Wolverines returned to the court for the first time since winning the national championship last season, taking down the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 87-62, in the preseason opener at the Crisler Center on Sunday.
Not only was the exhibition game an opportunity to work out some of the kinks and get ready for the regular season, but it was also the debut of first-year head coach Mike Boynton Jr. It couldn’t have gone much better for Boynton’s team.
Here’s the recap, highlights and stats.
FIRST HALF
Michigan wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as guard Elliot Cadeau connected with center Moustapha Thiam for an alley-oop just seconds in the game. Just moments later, guard Trey McKenney made a three-pointer to take a 5-0 lead.
The defense picked up right where it left off last year, forcing three turnovers and holding Eastern Michigan scoreless for the first three minutes. Michigan forward J.P. Estrella got in on the scoring action as well, with a three-pointer of his own.
McKenney’s hot start continued in the ensuing minutes as the All-Big Ten guard drilled a mid-range jumper and finished a tough reverse layup to extend the lead to 13-6. Estrella also had an emphatic tip-in slam to get the crowd on their feet.
Michigan went cold for a stretch, going scoreless for over three minutes and committing five turnovers in the span, but McKenney stopped the drought with a four-point play to extend the lead to 19-12 with 9:39 remaining in the first half.
Later in the half, the Wolverines got the freshmen involved as guard Joseph Hartman and forward Quinn Costello each drilled a three-pointer in their Crisler Center debut. McKenney also added a layup to cap off a 12-2 run and take a 27-14 lead.
Michigan held a double-figure lead for a moment, until Eastern Michigan went on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 31-28 in the final minutes of the half. The Wolverines immediately responded with an 8-0 run to take a 39-28 lead into halftime.
Cadeau scored six straight points, including a stepback three-pointer while being fouled, to regain momentum for Michigan. On the final play of the first half, Costello came up with a steal and fast-break dunk to push the lead back to double digits.
HALFTIME: Michigan 39, Eastern Michigan 28
SECOND HALF
Michigan came out of halftime with a lot of energy and quickly extended the lead to 47-32 as McKenney connected on a turnaround mid-range jumper on the first play of the half, followed by Estrella and Costello knocking down three-pointers.
The Wolverines continued to score with ease as Thiam backed down his defender and sank an and-1 hook shot, and Cadeau slithered through the defense and finished a nifty layup. Michigan held a 60-43 lead with 10:57 left in the game.
In the ensuing minutes, Michigan completely blew the game open by making seven consecutive shots to go up 73-51. Costello and McKenney made three-pointers, and Thiam found Estrella for an uncontested layup to build an insurmountable lead.
Michigan eventually cruised to an 87-62 win over Eastern Michigan to open the preseason on a positive note behind a game-high 21 points from McKenney. Cadeau added 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the victory as well.
Additionally, Costello dropped 16 points and five rebounds, and Hartman finished with 10 points in their first game in front of the home crowd. Thiam also totaled 11 points, five rebounds and four blocks to lead the Wolverines on defense.
FINAL SCORE: Michigan 87, Eastern Michigan 62
MICHIGAN STAT LEADERS
- G Trey McKenney: 21 points, 5 rebounds
- G Elliot Cadeau: 10 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds
- F Quinn Costello: 16 points, 5 rebounds
- F J.P. Estrella: 14 points, 4 rebounds
- C Moustapha Thiam: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks
- G Joseph Hartman: 10 points
EASTERN MICHIGAN STAT LEADERS
- G Emanuel Richards: 11 points, 5 rebounds
- C Mohammad Habhab: 11 points, 4 rebounds
- G Sencire Harris: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
UP NEXT
With three weeks until the regular season tips off, the Wolverines are scheduled to play two more exhibition games. Michigan will host Oregon State on Friday at 7 p.m. before traveling to Grand Rapids to face Houston on Sunday, Oct. 25.
