Michigan
Le Moyne (ex)
U-M Cruises Past Le Moyne in Exhibition Action
11/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 6, 2015
» A 15-0 run in the first half boosted the Wolverines to a 19-5 lead with 6:53 left in the first half on their way to victory.
» Senior guard Caris LeVert led the Wolverines in scoring with 22 points, while Duncan Robinson scored 15 points in his first game for the Maize and Blue.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 74, Le Moyne 52 (ex.)
Attendance: 10,699
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 13 -- vs. Northern Michigan (Crisler Center), 7 p.m.
• Kornacki Postgame Feature: Beileins Come Full Circle in Friday's Father-Son Matchup
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team (No. 25 AP, RV Coaches) cruised to a 74-52 win over the Le Moyne Dolphins in its season-opening exhibition on Friday night (Nov. 6) at the Crisler Center. The game was highlighted by the first-ever matchup between the father-and-son coaching duo of John and Patrick Beilein.
Senior guard Caris LeVert paced Michigan with 22 points, shooting 4-for-9 from three-point range. Junior/sophomore guard/forward Duncan Robinson added 15 points in his first game action for the Maize and Blue, connecting on three shots from behind the arc. Sophomore guard Derrick Walton Jr. was Michigan's final double-digit scorer, adding 13 points and four rebounds on the night.
The Wolverines showed signs of offseason rust early, scoring just four points in the first five minutes. Things turned around quickly for Michigan, however, as the offense started to find its rhythm.
With the Wolverines leading 6-5, Robinson checked in for the first time and immediately nailed his first three-pointer, sparking a 15-0 scoring run. Moments later, sophomore/freshman forward D.J. Wilson found LeVert with a perfect lob pass, and the athletic guard did the rest, throwing down an emphatic alley-oop slam to extend the lead to 11-5. After Robinson made another jumper, LeVert found himself uncontested at the top of the arc, and he buried a three-pointer to force Le Moyne into a timeout with Michigan leading, 16-5.
With seven minutes left in the first half, the Wolverines went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 26-8, capped by a strong post move by sophomore center Ricky Doyle. The Dolphins finished the half on a 6-2 run to cut the lead to 28-14, a score line Michigan took into break.
The Wolverines shot 11-of-26 (42.3 percent) in the half, scoring 16 of their 28 points in the paint. Le Moyne shot just 5-of-22 (22.5 percent) from the field, scoring only two points in the paint. LeVert lead all scorers with nine points, and Doyle lead the way with four rebounds.
Michigan began to push the scoring tempo in the second half, with LeVert knocking down his second three-pointer on the Wolverines' first possession. After a jumper from Walton, sophomore forward Kameron Chatman found Robinson cutting backdoor with a beautiful entry pass, and Robinson put the ball off the glass and in to push the score to 35-19.
With Michigan up 39-24, Chatman set up another bucket, this time finding a wide-open LeVert in the corner. The senior drained the uncontested three-pointer, bringing the score to 42-24. On the next defensive possession, LeVert came up with a steal and pushed forward on the break. The Dolphins failed to put pressure on him, and LeVert pulled up at the top of the arc and swished his second-consecutive long ball, extending the Wolverines' lead to 45-24.
Michigan was in cruise control the rest of the way, and Wilson finished the scoring for the Wolverines with 11 seconds left on the clock, rattling the rim with a powerful dunk. Le Moyne's Panagiot Zaraidonis hit a three-pointer as time expired for the game's final score.
The Maize and Blue finished the night shooting 29-of-58 (50.0 percent), and out-rebounded the Dolphins, 39-28. The Wolverines' bench outscored Le Moyne's bench 30-6, and Michigan won the paint battle, 32-12. The Dolphins finished 19-of-52 (36.5 percent) from the floor, shooting just 3-of-13 from the free throw stripe.
The Wolverines will open regular-season play on Friday evening (Nov. 13) against Northern Michigan inside Crisler Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game can be viewed on BTN Plus. [ Tickets ]
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Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot
