Instant Recap: Michigan Picks Up An Impressive 96-82 Win Over Bowling Green
The Michigan Wolverines' basketball team kicked off its 2020-21 campaign in impressive fashion today, blowing out Bowling Green by a final score of 96-82.
Here's how the entire contest unfolded in an empty Crisler Center that didn't allow fans in.
First Half
Fifth-year senior forward Austin Davis gave Michigan its first two points of the season, connecting on two free throws at the 19:37 mark to put the Maize and Blue up 2-0. Senior forward Isaiah Livers gave Michigan its first three-pointer of the year, meanwhile, when he connected on a triple at 17:25 to put his club up 5-2.
Fifth-year senior point guard Mike Smith assisted on the play. Smith continued his hot play when he nailed a corner triple of his own at the 16:05 mark to put Michigan on top 10-2.
The Wolverines held a 10-4 lead at the under-16 timeout. Head coach Juwan Howard didn’t sub until the 13:40 mark, bringing in freshman center Hunter Dickinson and senior guard Chaundee Brown off the bench for Davis and Smith, respectively.
Livers nailed his second three-pointer of the game to put the Wolverines up 15-10 with 12:08 to go in the first half, with sophomore guard Franz Wagner assisting on the play. That’s where the score stood at the under-12 media timeout, with both offenses having a rough go of it.
Michigan was only connecting on 36 percent of its shots, while Bowling Green was only nailing 27 percent. Livers drained his third three of the game at 9:51 to give Michigan a 19-13 lead.
He had a team-high nine points at that juncture, and was three-of-five from deep. Dickinson gave the Maize and Blue their biggest lead at 11 (25-14) when he laid it in with 8:28 remaining, forcing Bowling Green to call a timeout.
The Falcons continued to hang around, however, trimming U-M’s edge back down to 27-20. Junior forward Brandon Johns stretched it back to 10 (32-22) with two free throws with 6:01 to go in the half.
Freshman forward Terrance Williams also checked in for the first time at this point. Bowling Green then made things very dicey with a breakaway steal and easy layup at the 4:08 mark to cut Michigan’s lead to just 34-31.
That’s where things stood at the under-4 timeout, thanks in large part to the two teams being nearly even on the glass (U-M held a 16-15 edge in rebounds). The Wolverines quickly stretched the advantage back to seven (38-31) when Livers laid in a Williams miss at the rim with 3:28 remaining.
Smith led the team in scoring at that point with 12 points, while Livers had the next most with 11. Williams tallied the first points of his Wolverine career when he laid the ball in off a missed three-pointer from freshman guard Zeb Jackson, making it 43-35 with 57 seconds to go.
There was a bit of a damper right before the play, though, with Wagner departing for the locker room with what appeared to be an ankle injury. The half ended with Jackson throwing up a deep three-pointer and missing as time expired, allowing U-M to take a 43-36 lead into the break.
Livers concluded the first 20 minutes as Michigan’s leading scorer with 13 points, while the team shot an overall solid 48 percent from the field.
Second Half
Michigan received good news to start the second half, with Wagner back on the floor once again and his ankle injury clearly not being anything serious. Senior guard Eli Brooks got the scoring started for U-M in the second half, connecting on two free throws to put his club on top 45-38 just under two minutes in.
Those were his first two points of the game. Livers matched Michigan’s biggest advantage of the afternoon when he laid it in at 17:07, making the score 49-38 and forcing Bowling Green to call a timeout.
The Maize and Blue held a 53-43 lead at the under-16 timeout, with Livers’ 15 points pacing the squad at that point. Smith was next with 14, but no other Wolverine was in double figures.
After only playing seven minutes in the first half, Brown gave the club a nice boost just before the halfway point of the second half. He drilled two three-pointers (at 13:35 and then at 12:11) to give U-M its biggest advantage of the day, with the second one putting the team up 61-47.
The three-point parade from Brown continued with 9:36 to go when he drilled his third one of the half, this one giving the Maize and Blue a 68-54 lead. The senior had 12 points at that stanza and was three-of-four from deep.
He wasn’t done putting on a show yet though, making his fourth three-pointer of the half with 8:08 remaining. The trifecta put U-M up 71-59, and that’s where things stood at the under-8 timeout.
Dickinson gave Michigan its heftiest lead of the game with an and-1 with seven minutes left. He connected on the free throw to make the score 75-59. The blowout was officially on when Brooks nailed a corner three-pointer in transition with 5:57 left, giving the Wolverines an 80-62 edge.
Brown assisted on the play, continuing his strong second half performance. The Chaundee Brown Show was alive and well at the 4:47 mark, when he recorded his fifth three-pointer of the half — this one from the corner — to make the score 85-68.
Viewers were then treated to an alley-oop dunk from Smith to Livers to put U-M up 87-68 with just 4:22 remaining. Brown’s 19 points paced the club at this point, while Livers’ eight boards led the rebounding department.
The Maize and Blue closed out a 96-82 victory, shooting 54 percent overall on the afternoon, including a 10-of-27 mark from three-point range. Brown finished as the team’s leading scorer with 19 points, while Livers’ nine boards concluded as a team-high.
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