Michigan
13-0
Binghamton
4-10
Strong Second Half Leads U-M Past Binghamton to 13th Straight Win
12/30/2018 3:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Jordan Poole set a career high with six three-pointers on the afternoon.
» Zavier Simpson posted double-digit assists for the first time in his career with 10.
» Michigan will resume Big Ten play on Thursday (Jan. 3) when it welcomes Penn State to Crisler Center.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #2 Michigan 74, Binghamton 52
Records: U-M (13-0), Binghamton (4-10)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Jan. 3 -- vs. Penn State (Crisler Center), 7 p.m. (TV: ESPN)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team (No. 2 AP, No. 4 USA Today) continued its perfect start to the 2018-19 season with a 74-52 victory over Binghamton on Sunday (Dec. 30) at Crisler Center.
Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis led all scorers with 21 points for the Wolverines, while sophomores Jordan Poole and Isaiah Livers added 18 and 17 points, respectively.
Zavier Simpson dished out a career-high 10 assists and grabbed nine rebounds. His previous best of nine assists came against North Florida (Nov. 11, 2017).
Defensively, Michigan scored 11 points off 14 Bearcats' turnovers and held Binghamton to 4-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc, with all of its makes coming in the first half. The Wolverines also had eight steals and four blocks.
Michigan got off to a fast start, connecting on its first three attempts from the field. Poole made two three-point field goals, while he assisted on another by Brazdeikis as the Wolverines held a 9-7 lead at the 14:52 mark of the first half.
With 13:27 left in the first half, Caleb Stewart's second three of the afternoon gave Binghamton its first lead, but Michigan answered with a three from Poole to take a 12-11 lead at the 11:50 mark.
Livers sparked the Wolverines off the bench, notching a crowd-pleasing dunk, a steal and two assists over a span of 1:54 to extend U-M's lead to 23-18.
The Michigan defense was stout early on, holding Binghamton scoreless for 3:07, but the Wolverines were unable to pull away, leading by only two points, 27-25, with 3:19 left in the half.
The Wolverines went into the break leading, 34-29, with Poole's 12 points, on 4-of-7 shooting, pacing Michigan over the first 20 minutes of play.
Early in the second half, Poole's sixth three-pointer of the afternoon increased the Michigan lead to 44-37, tying its largest advantage of the game with 18:18 remaining. After four more points from the Wolverines and a scoring lull by the Bearcats, Binghamton called its first timeout of the half.
Back-to-back baskets in the paint from Livers helped Michigan extend its lead to double digits for the first time in the game, with the Wolverines leading, 54-43, with 7:31 left to play.
Simpson assisted on two baskets during a 9-3 Michigan run late, giving him 10 helpers for the game, before Brazdeikis hit back-to-back triples during that same stretch, to push the Wolverine lead to 63-46.
The Wolverines will begin the 2019 calendar year and resume Big Ten play on Thursday (Jan. 3) when they welcome Penn State to Crisler Center. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
