Michigan beats Toledo in second exhibition win, 96-92

In the Michigan men’s basketball team’s second exhibition game against Toledo, the Wolverines’ offense took off. 

After showcasing a fast-paced and 3-point heavy offense in its first exhibition game of the season against Oakland, it was more of the same for Michigan against the Rockets. But that didn’t encompass the entirety of the Wolverines’ second exhibition game. Their offense proceeded to cool down in the second half, and their defense allowed Toledo to crawl back into the game.

Ultimately, Michigan found its footing in the first half, creating a lead that was just large enough to hold for the rest of the game. 

The Wolverines took care of business Friday, downing Toledo 96-92, utilizing an aggressive tempo on offense and tenacious pursuit on defense in the first half. Michigan struggled to maintain a large lead in the second half but still managed to finish off the night. 

Despite a strong first half overall, though, the Wolverines didn’t shoot lights out right away. It took time before Michigan settled into its first game in Crisler Center under new coach Dusty May. 

The Wolverines started 2-12 from the field in the first five minutes while Toledo shot the ball at a 75% clip in the same time. But what kept the Wolverines close before they found a way to launch their offense was attacking the Rockets’ ball handler on defense and forcing turnovers. Michigan acquired seven steals and forced 10 turnovers in the first half alone. 

“(We were) just active,” junior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. said. “I think that was one thing we were able to do really well in the first half. We were able to have active hands and we saw spurts of it in the second half a little bit more so we were able to get out on transition.”

And that’s when the Wolverines offense started to separate itself. 

Beginning to limit Toledo’s makes and continuing to force turnovers, Michigan’s offense facilitated the way May intended. The Rockets’ defenders were stretched thin as the Wolverines’ ball movement created open looks along the perimeter, leading to five made threes in six shots during the next five minutes of the first half. 

Michigan shot an impressive 50% from deep in the first half and out-scored the Rockets 21-6 on the perimeter, generating a 12-point lead at half. And the Wolverines continued to pursue ealy in the second half, creating a game-high 16-point lead with just under 17 minutes remaining.

But Michiagn’s lead almost wasn’t enough. 

Toledo found its own rhythm in the second half and closed the gap to one point with less than three minutes remaining. The Wolverines’ offense proceeded to make just two 3-pointers in the second half and their defense allowed the Rockets to make many mid-range jumpers and take the game from the passing to individual level. 

“We challenged their catches (in the first half), and I thought in the second half that they really just played a lot more isolation basketball,” May said. “… I thought they made some really good individual plays.”

Despite strong individual offensive efforts from the Rockets in the second half, turnovers and offensive mistakes from the first half that continued into the second plagued Toledo as Michiagn’s defense preserved its lead for just long enough to come out on top. 

“It was a good preparation game for us because they exposed the things that we needed to be exposed at this point,” May said.

A night riddled by two stories fell in the right direction for the Wolverines as their first-half lead and momentum were just enough to capture the win. But with the highs of the first half, also came the lows of the second half. So when Michigan starts to play games that count toward its record, finishing off every game like it did Friday will actually begin to matter.

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