Michigan
Oakland
Wolverines Fall at Oakland in Season Opener
11/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ROCHESTER, Mich. - The University of Michigan men's basketball team opened up its 2000-01 season with a 97-90 loss to Oakland University in front of a record crowd at Oakland's 'O'rena on Friday (Nov. 17). The Wolverines out-rebounded the Grizzlies 46-24, but Oakland shot .531 from the field and made 15 three-pointers to overcome Michigan's size.
Michigan (0-1) was led by sophomore LaVell Blanchard (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS), who had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and freshman Bernard Robinson Jr. (Washington, D.C./New Hampton Prep), with 19 points and six rebounds. Jason Rozycki had a game-high 32 points, and had six of Oakland's 15 three-pointers.
Senior Josh Asselin (Caro, Mich./Caro HS) had U-M's first points of the season on a thundering dunk on Michigan's first possession. Oakland got off to an early lead thanks to its three-point shooting. The Grizzlies (1-0) had four quick threes, giving Oakland a 14-4 advantage. The Wolverines showed some rust early on, starting 1-10 from the field before junior Chris Young (Plymouth, Mich./Catholic Central HS) made an eight-foot jumper from outside the lane.
The Grizzlies' hot shooting from the perimeter continued to extend the lead with three-pointers. The Wolverines tried to shift the momentum following a steal by Robinson Jr. and his high-rising breakaway dunk. U-M took advantage of its size on the inside with Josh Moore (Newark, N.J./St. Thomas More Prep). Moore had back-to-back rim-shaking slams with 6:05 left in the half, keeping Michigan within 10 points.
But Oakland's hot shooters from outside the arc and nine first-half threes gave the Grizzlies as big as a 15-point lead in the game prior to half-time. LaVell Blanchard's tip-dunk right before the half cut the the deficit to 44-34 as U-M headed into the locker room on a positive note. Oakland shot 48 percent for the half and forced 12 Michigan turnovers.
The second half did not start out well for Michigan's big men. Asselin and Moore each picked up his fourth foul -- to join Chris Young with four -- within the first minute of the second half. Moore then picked up his fifth foul on the next trip down court for an early exit. Gavin Groninger (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield HS) scored Michigan's first five points of the half, including his first three of the season.
After two more threes from Oakland's shooters, the defense stiffened for the Maize and Blue. Led by a three-point play and a trey by Blanchard, U-M went on an 11-0 run to make it 58-50. The Grizzlies responded with a 12-0 run of their own, on more long-range shooting, to increase the lead to 73-56 with 11:28 remaining.
Michigan was sparked by another freshman making his debut. Maurice Searight (Orchard Lake, Mich./St. Mary HS), who was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field and added two assists and one steal, connected on three straight shots to make it an 85-73 game. Young then added a dunk off of a Robinson Jr. miss for an 8-2 run with 4:38 left in the game.
Avery Queen (Moreno Valley, Calif./Redemption Academy) followed with a steal and an assist to Searight for a layup, bringing the Wolverines back within single digits, 86-77. Searight picked up another steal on Oakland's next possession and converted the layup, giving Searight 10 points in just over three minutes of action.
With time running out, U-M was forced to foul and send Oakland to the line. The Grizzlies went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, including 6-of-6 from Rozycki, in the final minute of the game to preserve the win.
Michigan has its home opener at Crisler Arena on Tuesday (Nov. 21) against Western Michigan at 7 p.m.
N O T E S
-- LaVell Blanchard had his 10th career double-double, with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Blanchard also had a career high in assists, with five.
-- Chris Young scored a career-high 15 points.
-- Mike Gotfredson (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS), a transfer from Calvin College, made his first career start for the Maize and Blue.
-- Michigan is now 10-1 against schools from the Mid-Continent Conference.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
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