Michigan
1-0
Howard
0-1
Wolverines Top Howard in Veterans Day Season Opener
11/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2016
» U-M shot an impressive 89 percent from the free throw line (23-for-26), while Howard shot just 48 percent (14-for-29), and U-M also converted Howard's 17 turnovers into 20 points on the offensive end.
» Today's contest marked the first game of the 2K Classic Ann Arbor Regional and was also Michigan's Military Appreciation Game, as it honored active duty and veterans of the military throughout the game.
• Box Score | Photo Gallery 
• Coach Beilein Postgame Press Conference 
| Audio Highlights 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Event: 2K Classic Ann Arbor Regional
Score: Michigan 76, Howard 58
Records: U-M (1-0), HU (0-1)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Nov. 13 -- vs. IUPUI (Crisler Center), Noon [ TV: ESPNU ]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team opened the 2016-17 regular season with a 76-58 victory over Howard Friday night (Nov. 11) inside the Crisler Center in the first game in the 2K Classic Ann Arbor Regional. In honor of Veterans Day, Michigan hosted its Military Appreciation Day and honored active duty and veterans of the military throughout the game.
The Maize and Blue was led by a trio of seniors, as Derrick Walton Jr. (20), Mark Donnal (12) and Zak Irvin (11) each posted double-digit points. D.J. Wilson finished just shy of a double-double, recording nine points and eight rebounds. Overall, Michigan shot 42 percent (22-for-52) from the field and was an impressive 23-for-26 (89 percent) from the free throw line. U-M also forced Howard into 17 turnovers, which resulted in 20 points on the other end.
Howard's defense stifled the Wolverines early on, as they got off to a slow start, missing their first six shots and were trailing 4-0 at the first media timeout.
"I'm proud of our guys," said head coach John Beilein in the postgame press conference. "What Howard did defensively was something I don't recall seeing. They were really flying around with great quickness. We might not see that type of quickness all year long. We had all kinds of plans -- some of them worked, some of them didn't -- but it came down to playing ball, and we played ball when we needed to."
After the break, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman caught fire, hitting three-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor to make it a tie game, 6-6, at the 14:05 mark. U-M's offensive kept clawing back and took its first lead of the night, 11-9, on a Walton triple with 12:14 to go in the first half.
Michigan's defense buckled down through the middle portion of the opening half, allowing Howard to tally just four points over a seven-minute span (6:43-13:43), making it 18-13, before Duncan Robinson, U-M's 2015-16 leader in three-pointers (95), cashed in a triple to push U-M's lead to eight, 21-13.
Walton was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the first stanza, helping Michigan take its largest lead, 34-21, with 1:53 on the clock. The Wolverines held a 34-25 lead at the halftime break, with free throws being the difference in the first half. Michigan was a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe, while Howard was 8-for-18.
After back-and-forth play in the early minutes of the second half, a pair of threes from Howard brought the Bisons within five, 41-36, with 12:27 left to play. The Wolverines then went on an 8-2 run, compliments of five points from Irvin and an old-fashioned three-point play from Wilson, putting U-M back up by 11, 49-38.
U-M's free throw shooting continued to be a bright spot after the 12-minute media timeout, as it hit six straight attempts from the line to go up by 15, 55-40 with 8:28 remaining. Michigan's offense truly came together down the stretch, as Irvin connected with Wilson for an alley-oop, and then Walton hit two of his game-high four threes to make it 65-46 at the 4:43 mark.
The Wolverines hit seven more free throws in the final three-and-a-half minutes, and Ibi Watson and Xavier Simpson each hit jumpers in the final minutes in their official Michigan debuts to produce the final score.
OHH MAN! YOU'VE GOTTA SEE THIS DUNK FROM D.J.!! #Dunk #Squad101 #GoBlue 👊👊👊 https://t.co/SdJVKtqVqd
-- Michigan Basketball (@umichbball) November 12, 2016
In honor of Veterans Day, Michigan honored members of the U.S. military in various ways throughout the game, beginning with the introduction of tonight's honorary captains with the Wounded Warrior Project. Army Specialist Dan Webb, a nine-year veteran from Cedar Springs, Michigan, and Marine Corporal Michael Koziak, a six-year veteran from Mona Shores, Michigan, were special guests of the men's basketball team at tonight's game and will also be in attendance at Sunday's game. They will also travel to New York City with the team for the championship round of the 2K Classic next week.
Prior to the start of the game, the national anthem was performed by the Michigan National Guard 126 Army Band. At halftime, members of the Michigan ROTC participated in a basketball challenge.
Next up, Michigan will host IUPUI in the second game of the 2K Classic Ann Arbor Regional on Sunday (Nov. 13) at noon inside Crisler Center. The Wolverines will once again honor U.S. military, highlighted by an Army vs. Navy wheelchair basketball game at halftime.
Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot
