Michigan’s national title defense opened with a win, but it took some early swings and a few rough patches before the Wolverines settled into an 84-68 victory over Oakland on Monday night at Crisler Center.
In Mike Boynton Jr.’s first game as head coach, Michigan got enough from a balanced attack to take control in the first half and then weathered a second-half lull before pulling away for the regular-season opener.
The Wolverines came out with pace and purpose, grabbing an 8-5 lead by the first media timeout behind JP Estrella, who scored four straight points and finished one of those plays with a fast-break layup. After the break, Estrella added another basket and Quinn Costello knocked down a three-pointer to push Michigan ahead 13-8.
Oakland answered immediately with a 10-0 run to flip the game and move in front 18-13 with 11:43 left in the half. Michigan didn’t let that last long. Roddy Gayle Jr. buried a floater and then delivered a no-look pass to Oscar Goodman for a layup, sparking an 8-0 burst that put the Wolverines back on top 21-18.
From there, Michigan found its rhythm. Trey McKenney hit a three-pointer and later finished an and-one reverse layup, while Estrella added a hook shot as the Wolverines ripped off a 16-1 run to stretch the margin to 29-19. McKenney stayed hot with another three-pointer to make it 39-31, and in the final seconds of the half, Elliot Cadeau set up Gayle for an alley-oop slam that sent Michigan into the break with a 47-36 lead.
The second half was less smooth. Michigan managed just two points and turned the ball over four times in the first four minutes, allowing Oakland to cut the deficit to 49-43 with 15:35 remaining. The Wolverines then went more than three minutes without scoring, giving the Golden Grizzlies a chance to hang around.
Costello finally broke that drought with a deep three-pointer, and Cadeau followed with a pair of free throws to push the lead back to 54-43. Michigan’s defense tightened from there, forcing six straight missed shots from Oakland. Costello struck again from long range, and Kenny Noland added a three of his own as the lead climbed to 62-47 with 11:21 left.
Oakland kept fighting, but Michigan closed the door with a 9-0 run to make it 71-55. Goodman finished a euro-step layup in the lane, and Gayle added another floater to help put the game out of reach.
It wasn’t clean, but it was enough. Gayle and McKenney each scored 17 points, while Estrella turned in a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double. Costello added 13 points, and Cadeau finished with seven points and six assists.
For Oakland, Chris Fields Jr. led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Nassim Mashhour scored 16 points, and Ryder Bradley added 12 points and six rebounds.
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