Michigan
Armstrong State (ex)
Michigan Cruises in Exhibition Opener
11/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 4, 2016
» U-M connected on five straight three-pointers midway through the game.
» Moritz Wagner was 7-of-9 from the floor in 25 minutes.
• Box Score | Photo Gallery 
• Beilein Postgame Press Conference 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 77, Armstrong State 49 (exhibition)
Records: U-M (0-0), ASU (0-0)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 11 -- vs. Howard (Crisler Center), 9 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team opened the 2016-17 season with a 77-49 exhibition victory over Armstrong State Friday night (Nov. 4) inside the Crisler Center.
The game marked the return of U-M legend Cazzie Russell, who serves as an assistant coach for the Pirates. Crisler Center is known as the "House that Cazzie Built," despite Russell never playing a game in it. While he never played in Crisler, Russell previously returned to Ann Arbor for an exhibition game with the New York Knicks on Sept. 24, 1970, against the Detroit Pistons. Russell received a standing ovation prior to the game tonight and gave a heart-felt speech to the U-M fans as he remembered his time at Michigan.
Four U-M players scored in double figures with Moritz Wagner and Zak Irvin leading the way with 15 points apiece. Wagner was especially efficient, connecting on 7-of-9 from the floor in 25 minutes, while Irvin added four assists and four rebounds to his line. Derrick Walton Jr. had 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and D.J. Wilson added 10 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes.
Walton opened the second half with a three-pointer to give U-M a 43-23 lead, before the Pirates went on a 13-4 run to cut the margin to 47-36. The spurt prompted a U-M timeout at the 15:32 mark, and the home team responded with 15 straight points to extend its lead to 62-36.
"I loved how (Armstrong State) closed the gap there a little bit there in the second half," said head coach John Beilein in the postgame press conference. "We didn't block out the way we have to block out, and all of a sudden it was back to a game. In (just) three or four minutes, things can go south on you very quickly."
Similar to the first half, when U-M got on track, it was the defensive that enabled the offense to shine. On offensive side of the run, consecutive triples from Ibi Watson and Wagner showed Michigan's quick-strike ability. Wagner's triple marked U-M's fifth straight make from beyond the arc after an 0-for-5 start from deep in the opening half.
After a span of 7:03, a baseline jumper from Armstrong's Montrel Goldston finally ended the drought with 8:02 remaining, but Michigan continued to pull away as 13 players saw action on the night.
KJ James led Armstrong State with 16 points, 12 of which came in the second half, on 5-of-10 shooting with seven rebounds in 29 minutes.
Michigan connected on 8-of-9 shots from inside the arc to start the game. A pair of driving layups from Sean Lonergan gave U-M a 12-4 lead at the 14:04 mark, and a fast-break layup from Watson upped the lead to 14-4 one possession later.
U-M did not connect well from three-point range, starting 0-for-6, before a transition triple from Wilson gave Michigan its largest lead of the half, 34-15, at the 1:48 mark. Despite not finding its touch from outside, U-M's length and athletic advantage on defense created its 40-23 halftime lead. U-M blocked four shots and forced 11 turnovers, leading to 12 points.
Eight U-M players scored in the opening stanza with Irvin leading the way with 10 points. U-M shot .552 overall (16-of-29) in the half.
For Michigan's season-opening games next weekend (Nov. 11, 13), all active duty and veterans of the military are invited to redeem up to (4) free tickets while tickets are available. Visit the Athletic Ticket Office to pick up Veterans Day tickets in advance or email the ticket office for the special promotional code.
Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot
