Michigan
2-0
Elon
1-1
U-M Finds Long-Range Success in Win over Elon
11/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2015
» Zak Irvin played his first minutes since returning from injury, dishing out three assists.
» U-M took the lead for good with 7:46 left to play in the first half.
» Robinson (5-for-5) and Walton (6-for-7) combined to shoot 11-of-12 from three-point range.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 88, Elon 68
Records: U-M (2-0), Elon (1-1)
Attendance: 9,716
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 20 -- vs. Xavier (Crisler Center), 9 p.m. [ TV: BTN ]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team (No. 24 AP, No. 25 USA Today) cruised to an 88-68 victory against the Elon Phoenix on Monday night (Nov. 16) inside Crisler center. The Wolverines took the lead with a little less than eight minutes left to play in the first half and never trailed again.
The guard duo of junior/sophomore Duncan Robinson and junior Derrick Walton Jr. combined to score 43 of Michigan's 88 points. Walton Jr. led all players in each major category, contributing a career-high 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Robinson had a career-high 19 points on 6-of-6 shooting, including a team-best 5-of-5 from long distance. Senior guard Caris LeVert contributed 11 points and seven assists, while junior guard Zak Irvin dished out three assists in his first game back from injury.
The Wolverines came out firing from three-point range in the first half. Walton Jr. set the tone early for the offense, coming off a screen to knock down a three-pointer with the first shot of the game. Brian Dawkins answered immediately for Elon, hitting a three of his own to tie the game at 3-3. After the teams began to trade baskets, the Phoenix took their first lead with 9:46 left in the half when Stephen Santa Ana nailed a three-pointer to make the score 15-12.
Michigan took the lead for good with 7:46 remaining in the half. Irvin dribbled baseline from the wing, drawing the help-side defense toward the rim, and kicked the ball out to Robinson, who was wide open in the corner. The sharpshooter's three hit nothing but net to give the Wolverines a 21-19 advantage. A minute later, Irvin found Robinson again, this time in the opposite corner, and he nailed another three to extend the lead to 24-19.
The Wolverines closed the half on a 12-3 run, giving them a 43-33 edge heading into the break. Michigan shot 14-of-31 (45.2 percent) from the floor, with Walton Jr. and Robinson contributing a trio of three-pointers each. Elon shot 12-for-26 (46.2) from the field. Robinson led all scorers at the half with 13 points.
The offense picked up right where it left off out of the break, starting the second half on a 10-0 run to extend the lead to 53-33. Sophomore guard Aubrey Dawkins opened the scoring with a layup, then Walton Jr. hit from behind the arc as the shot clock expired. After LeVert slammed home a fast-break dunk, Dawkins capped the run with 17:08 to play, knocking down a three-pointer of his own.
Michigan's deadly long-range shooting began to wear down on the Phoenix defense as the half progressed, and Robinson hit another three with 10 minutes remaining to extend the Wolverines' lead to 67-44, the largest margin of the night. LeVert assisted on other Walton Jr. long ball with 6:20 to play to make the score 75-56, and sophomore forward Ricky Doyle threw down a dunk to make it 79-60 with five minutes to play.
U-M coasted the rest of the way, and Dawkins put an exclamation point on the game with 19 seconds remaining. Sophomore guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman cut through the lane and thread a pass underneath to Dawkins, who elevated to slam home the game's final points, making the score 88-68.
The Maize and Blue shot 31-of-60 (51.7 percent) from the field, including 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) from behind the arc. Elon finished the game shooting 23-of-50 from the field (46.0 percent), including just 9-of-23 (39.1 percent) from behind the arc. The Wolverines also controlled the glass, out-rebounding the Phoenix 32-27.
U-M returns to action Friday night (Nov. 20) when it hosts Xavier inside Crisler Center. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m., and coverage can be found on the Big Ten Network. [ Tickets ]
• Tonight's game is a mainland matchup for the Battle 4 Atlantis. Next week, Michigan will travel to the Bahamas for the championship bracket tournament, while Elon will host Mount St. Mary's (Md.), Furman and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a mainland bracket.
• Today's matchup between Michigan and Elon was the first meeting in the history of the two programs.
• The Wolverines assisted on 20 of 31 (65 percent) made field goals. Derrick Walton Jr. and Caris LeVert contributed with seven assists each. LeVert has had a total of 12 assists in the last two games, including seven tonight.
• Zak Irvin made his first appearance of the season tonight after recovering from back surgery. He recorded one rebound and three assists in 15 minutes of action.
• Duncan Robinson scored his first official points as a Michigan Wolverine and was perfect from the field, going 6-for-6 from the field, 5-for-5 from three-point land and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, finishing with 19 points. He started the game scoring eight points within five minutes of play. Robinson also added three rebounds.
• Derrick Walton Jr. set a new career high with 24 points tonight. His previous career high of 22 points came against Hillsdale in 2014. Walton also set career highs in field goals (8-for-10) and three pointers (6-for-7) made.
• Michigan had three players in double-digit scoring tonight -- Derrick Walton Jr. (24), Duncan Robinson (19) and Caris LeVert (11). This is the second game in a row that LeVert has hit double digits.
• The Wolverines had a total of 13 three-pointers tonight, with Duncan Robinson (5) and Derrick Walton Jr. (6) combining for 11 of those 13.
• Caris LeVert matched a career high with four steals and has recorded a total of six steals through the first two games.
• Twelve players saw playing time in tonight's game, with nine of them scoring points and 12 contributing rebounds.
Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot
