Michigan
3-0
Villanova
2-1
Wolverines Run Out Early, Cruise to Victory Over No. 8 Villanova
11/14/2018 10:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Michigan earned a decisive 73-46 victory over No. 8 Villanova at Finneran Pavilion.
» The Wolverine defense forced 21 turnovers and scored 25 points off of Wildcat miscues.
» Charles Matthews led Michigan for the second straight game with 19 points.
» Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis added 18 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
Site: Villanova, Pa. (Finneran Pavilion)
Score: #18 Michigan 73, #8 Villanova 46
Records: U-M (3-0), VIllanova (2-1)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 17 -- vs. George Washington (Uncasville, Conn.), noon
VILLANOVA, Pa. -- The No. 18 University of Michigan men's basketball scored off the opening tipoff and never looked back in a 73-46 victory over No. 8 Villanova on Wednesday (Nov. 14) in the Wolverines' first road contest of the season at Finneran Pavilion.
The Wolverine defense forced 21 turnovers, scored 25 points off Wildcat miscues and blocked six shots to help keep Villanova to 31.8 percent shooting (14-for-44) for the game. U-M shot 51 percent (28-for-55).
Senior Charles Matthews led the Wolverines for the second straight game, scoring 19 points, grabbing four rebounds and blocking three shots. Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis recorded his third consecutive game with double-digit points (18). He grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, three of them coming on the offensive end. Zavier Simpson was a big playmaker for the Maize and Blue, with nine points, six assists and five steals.
The Wolverines charged out of the gate, as an 8-2 run forced a Villanova timeout with 16:28 remaining in the first half. Michigan continued to control the pace, as it connected on three straight three-pointers followed up by a Brazdeikis jumper to go up 24-10 with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half.
Continuing to run the court, U-M used a 14-3 run over the course of five minutes to take a 23-point lead, 36-13, with just under four minutes remaining in the first half. Matthews then stole the ball and made an uncontested layup to close out the half and help Michigan take a 27-point lead, 44-17, into the locker room at the half.
Matthews collected 16 points in the first half and blocked three shots to lead the Wolverines, while Brazdeikis and Isaiah Livers each added seven points. As a team, Michigan shot 56.3 percent (18-for-32) and kept the Wildcats to just 24 percent shooting (6-for-25). Defensively, the Wolverines forced 10 Villanova turnovers and blocked five shots.
Early in the second half, a steal by Poole allowed Livers to score on a fast-break layup before the Wildcats used five consecutive free throws to chip away at the Wolverines' lead, 54-28, with 12:03 remaining.
Michigan quickly extended its lead to 30 points when Eli Brooks worked his way around the top of the key before drawing the defense out and found a wide-open lane to the basket to put U-M ahead, 60-30, and forced a Villanova timeout with nine minutes to go.
The Wolverines added 13 points the rest of the way, as they slowed the pace and sealed their victory over the defending national champion Wildcats.
U-M will continue its road stretch Saturday (Nov. 17), when it heads to Uncasville, Connecticut, for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. The Wolverines will first take on George Washington at noon before they face on Sunday (Nov. 18) the winner of the Providence/South Carolina game.
