The No. 7 Michigan men’s basketball team set itself up well. After going down 5-0 in the open to San Diego State, the Wolverines used two scores in the paint, three free throws and four 3-pointers to jump out to a 21-9 lead.
Michigan (5-0) rode that hot start to the finish line Monday night in Las Vegas. The Wolverines held their double-digit cushion through the first half, ballooned it in the second and took down the Aztecs (2-2) in dominant fashion, 94-54.
“Very complete effort on the defensive end by our guys,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “We looked determined, we looked connected as a group. So that’s exciting going forward … what our players have been able to do at different places, in different situations, for them to put all of that aside and try to do it completely together.”
The Wolverines’ fast start was partly characterized by two components of the game they had success with all game long: assists and offensive rebounding. On their first basket of the game, the ball was swung all around the perimeter to graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who knocked down a corner 3-pointer. Soon after, off a Lendeborg miss, junior forward Aday Mara grabbed the offensive rebound and found Lendeborg for an easy layup.
Then, up 8-7, Michigan rattled off three straight 3-pointers: the first by junior guard Elliot Cadeau and the next two by graduate forward Will Tschetter. All three were assisted. Mara tipped in two more points off another offensive rebound, Lendeborg hit two free throws, and just like that the Wolverines were up 21-9 less than eight minutes in.
Michigan kept up that momentum for the rest of the first half. Its lead grew as big as 17 in the first half, and shrunk as small as nine close to halftime. Even in the Wolverines’ short-lived droughts, the cushion they had built for themselves in the open kept San Diego State at a safe distance throughout.
In the second half, the Wolverines expanded on their lead — and then some. They continued to move the ball on offense, attack the offensive glass and forced some turnovers too. Sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. led the way early in the second half with his rebounding prowess and knack for drawing fouls. Michigan ended the game with 15 offensive rebounds.
“I thought tonight, we were as physical as we’ve been on the glass,” May said. “I thought our perimeter guys were as quick as we’ve been to the long loose rebounds. It’s a testament to those guys in practice making the commitment to doing these things that winning requires.”
The Aztecs didn’t shoot well in the first half, but they fell off a cliff in the second. With six minutes to go in the game, San Diego State had scored just 12 points in the half. The Wolverines’ defense kept the Aztecs unorganized and forced difficult shots time after time. And while Michigan kept hitting its own shots, its lead exploded to 35 points.
“We’re pretty big at the rim, so if you get in the paint and Aday swats a few of them, and Morez comes out of nowhere to go vertical and block the shot, then the next one you’re kind of looking around,” May said. “And I think the perimeter guys have done a really nice job of scrambling, flying around and just making smart basketball plays on the fly and covering for each other.”
On offense, the Wolverines kept using the same tricks that got them their early momentum. They put up 3-pointers, shared the ball well and dominated the rebounding battle. By the game’s end, six players had scored in double-figures.
The Wolverines were the better team all game Monday. After a hot start in the first half, they never looked back.
