Michigan
Grand Valley State (ex)
Wolverines Roll Past Grand Valley State in Exhibition Opener
11/3/2017 10:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Michigan held a 24-point lead at halftime, 45-21, and led by as many as 34 points in the second half.
» Overall, eight Wolverines hit three pointers, with five different players notching triples in the first nine minutes of play. U-M shot 58 percent from the field from beyond the arc in the opening half.
» Charles Matthews led Michigan with 23 points, while Duncan Robinson had 11 points -- including a game-high three triples -- and Moritz Wagner posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 82, Grand Valley State 50 (exhibition)
Records: U-M (0-0), GVSU (0-0)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 11 -- vs. North Florida (Crisler Center), 7:30 p.m., BTN Plus
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team opened the 2017-18 season with an 82-50 exhibition victory over Grand Valley State on Friday night (Nov. 3) inside the Crisler Center.
Michigan was led by a game-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting from junior Charles Matthews. Matthews started his Michigan debut strong, scoring nine of its first 15 points. Fifth-year senior Duncan Robinson paced the Wolverines in the three-point category with three and finished with 11 points. Senior Moritz Wagner posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Wolverines took an early lead over the Lakers, posting five triples from five different players in the first nine minutes of play to put U-M up, 21-8. Matthews started the impressive offensive showing with a three pointer just 33 seconds into the game on a dish from Wagner, and half a minute later, Wagner connected from beyond the arc, giving U-M a quick 6-0 lead.
With Michigan leading, 41-17, with under five minutes to play in the opening half, Wagner slammed the Wolverines' second dunk of the night to give U-M its largest lead of the first half (26 points). U-M closed the half with a 45-21 lead, with seven players posting points, including a team-high 17 from Matthews.
The Maize and Blue held the Lakers without a three-point field goal in the first half, but Grand Valley hit three triples in the first six and a half minutes of the second half, cutting U-M's lead to 22, 55-33.
Wagner scored at the 11:33 mark to ignite an 11-2 run that featured four straight points from Matthews and was capped by sophomore Jon Teske's first points off the bench, giving the Wolverines a 68-37 lead at the 7:14 mark.
U-M notched its largest lead, 77-43, on a bucket from sophomore Zavier Simpson with 2:24 remaining in regulation and the Wolverines cruised to an 82-50 win.
The Maize and Blue defense did not allow more than four consecutive points from Grand Valley the entire game. U-M held the Lakers to 31 percent (20-for-64) shooting from the field, while shooting 51 percent (31-for-61) as a team. The Wolverines hit 11 three-pointers (11-for 26) on the night with eight different players connecting from long range.
Overall, 15 players saw game action in the win over Grand Valley State, including game starts for Simpson, Robinson, Wagner, Matthews, and senior Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman.
Michigan will officially open the regular season when it hosts North Florida on Saturday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 p.m., inside Crisler Center. The game will be streamed live online via BTN Plus.
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