Michigan
1-0
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North Florida
0-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Florida | 30 | 36 | 66 |
| Michigan | 32 | 54 | 86 |
Wolverines Use Second-Half Burst to Down North Florida in Opener
11/11/2017 11:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» There were 10 lead changes and the game was tied three different times, including 49-49 with 11:03 remaining, but Michigan outscored North Florida, 37-17, down the stretch to earn an 86-66 win.
» Duncan Robinson (21) and Charles Matthews (20) each hit the 20-point mark, giving U-M two players with 20-plus points for the first time since 2015, while Moritz Wagner recorded his second career double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
» Prior to the game, Michigan commemorated its 2017 Big Ten Tournament title by raising a banner into the rafters of Crisler Center and presenting members of that team with their championship rings.
Site:Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: Michigan 86, North Florida 66
Records: U-M (1-0), UNF (0-2)
Next U-M Event: Monday, Nov. 13 -- vs. Central Michigan (Crisler Center), 7 p.m., BTN
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team used a 17-4 run over four and a half minutes in the middle of the second half to break away from the North Florida Ospreys, en route to an 86-66 win in the 2017-18 season opener on Saturday night (Nov. 11) inside Crisler Center.
Prior to tipoff, Michigan celebrated its run to the 2017 Big Ten Tournament title. In a well-publicized event, the Wolverines went on to win four games in four days following a plane accident prior to leaving for the conference event in Washington, D.C. Former captain, and current two-way player with the Miami Heat, Derrick Walton Jr. -- who won Most Outstanding Player honors -- as well as fellow former senior Sean Lonergan were on hand for the banner raising and ring presentation.
Overall, three Wolverines scored in double-digits: senior Duncan Robinson (21), junior Charles Matthews (20), and junior Moritz Wagner (18). The Maize and Blue had two 20-plus point scorers for the first time since March 3, 2015, at Northwestern (Zak Irvin, 28 and Aubrey Dawkins, 21). Wagner recorded his second career double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Michigan assisted on 64 percent of its field goals (21-of-33), led by sophomore Zavier Simpson's career-high nine assists. U-M's defense forced 24 UNF turnovers, which led to 24 points on the offensive end. Michigan also scored 16 of its points off offensive rebounds and 13 points off fast breaks, while holding North Florida to zero in both categories.
After closing out the first half with a 32-30 lead over the Ospreys, the Wolverines started the second half with a 5-0 run, jump-starting the Wolverine offense to an impressive 54-point showing in the second half. Senior Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman started the half with a triple, followed by a layup from Wagner to give the Maize and Blue a 37-30 lead. By the 11:03 mark, North Florida tied the game at 49. The Wolverines then used a 17-4 run, with points from five different players, to boast a 67-53 lead at the 5:52 mark.
The Maize and Blue then used a triple from Simpson and an and-one play from Wagner to grow the Wolverines' lead to 20, 73-53. Michigan took its largest lead of the game at the one-minute mark after freshman Isaiah Livers put up a triple, his first career points, and gave U-M an 86-63 advantage.
In the first half, the Maize and Blue and North Florida exchanged leads four times before the first media timeout at 12:43, when the Ospreys led, 13-9.
At the 7:27 mark, Brooks made his debut, earning a steal and going coast to coast for a layup to kick-start U-M's 7-3 run, eventually giving the Wolverines a 22-21 lead at the 5:22 mark of the first half. The Wolverines finished out the final four minutes of the half, outscoring the Ospreys, 6-4, to take a 32-30 lead into halftime.
Three freshmen recorded their first points in tonight's win: Livers (3), Eli Brooks (2) and Jordan Poole (2), as well as Graduate Student Jaaron Simmons (2).
Tweet of the Game
It's @umichbball halftime in Ann Arbor.
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) November 12, 2017
First half highlight: @1CMatthews soaring for a put-back slam. ?? pic.twitter.com/5gIvofW2kw
Michigan will have a quick turnaround for its next game, when it will host Central Michigan on Monday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. inside Crisler Center. The game will be televised live on BTN.
