Michigan
1-0,0-0Big Ten
Appalachian State
0-1,0-0Sun Belt
Michigan Earns Opening-Night Victory Over Appalachian State in Howard's Debut
11/5/2019 11:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» The Juwan Howard era opened with a 79-71 victory over Appalachian State.
» Junior guard Eli Brooks scored a career-high 24 points.
» The defense forced 19 turnovers.
» Michigan will take on Creighton on Tuesday (Nov. 12) at Crisler Center.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 79, Appalachian State 71
Records: U-M (1-0-0), ASU (0-1-0)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Nov. 12 -- vs. Creighton (Crisler Center), 6:30 p.m.
Watch: Coach Howard Postgame Press Conference | Highlights
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Juwan Howard era of the University of Michigan men's basketball began with a 79-71 victory over Appalachian State on Tuesday night (Nov. 5) night at Crisler Center.
Senior Jon Teske came out strong, scoring U-M's first 11 points en route to recording his 11th career double-double. Teske scored 15 of his 17 points and grabbed 11 of his career-best 13 rebounds in the first 17 minutes of the game. Also having a career night was junior Eli Brooks, who sank a career-best five three-pointers and finished with a career-high 24 points.
Junior Isaiah Livers rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Wolverines with 14 points helped by two three-pointers, and senior Zavier Simpson had a team-best six assists and added six points and eight rebounds.
Defensively, U-M forced 19 turnovers that were converted into 18 points. Simpson led Michigan with three steals, while Teske added three blocks and Brandon Johns Jr. had two blocks.
The Wolverines took a 16-5 lead before the first media timeout (14:23), with Teske scoring 11 points, including a three-pointer, and grabbing six rebounds within the first six minutes. Following the timeout, U-M maintained its dominance to extend its lead to 23-7 when Livers scored a transition basket following a steal by sophomore David DeJulius.
Appalachian State slowed Michigan with a 10-4 scoring run and cut the Michigan lead to 10 (27-17) with just under eight minutes left to play in the opening stanza.
The Wolverines were quick to answer back, with Livers sinking a pair of three-pointers within two minutes to help increase the lead to 37-21 with 5:11 to play. Michigan went on a 7-0 run over a span of 1:18 to push the lead to 41-21 before an App State timeout with 3:53 left in the first half.
Michigan maintained its lead as the squads exchanged baskets over the remaining minutes of the half, and the Wolverines took a 46-25 lead into halftime.
Teske led the Wolverines in first half scoring with 15 points, while Colin Castleton, Livers and Brooks each added eight points. Teske's 11 first-half rebounds nearly matched Appalachian State's rebound total of 13.
Michigan opened the second half outscoring Appalachian State, 17-8, over the first five minutes with Brooks nailing three triples and scoring on a transition layup, and the Wolverines held a 63-33 advantage with 15:00 remaining.
Simpson started the second half dishing out four assists and grabbing three boards over the first eight minutes.
After a 13-4 scoring run from the Mountaineers and a three minute U-M scoring drought, sophomore Adrien Nunez hit a three-pointer with 9:31 remaining to give Michigan a 70-46 lead.
Appalachian State rode an 18-0 scoring surge to cut the lead down to six, 70-64, with 2:23 remaining in regulation.
Livers ended the Michigan dry spell with a put-back layup with 1:31 left to play, but was answered with a Mountaineer three-pointer to bring the U-M lead down to 72-67 with 38 seconds to go. Late free throws from Brooks and Simpson helped Michigan close out the game.
The Wolverines will return to Crisler Center on Tuesday (Nov. 12) when they play host to Creighton. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on FS1.
