Michigan got off to another slow start, this time making only one of its first six shots. The Wolverines picked it up, though, and ran away from Air Force in the second half, winning 71-50.
The Wolverines trailed 6-5 at the first TV timeout. The lived on the perimeter against the Falcons’ zone and made only one of their first six three-pointers. Six of their first seven shots came behind the arc, and only frosh Ignas Brazdeikis made one. He scored U-M’s first five points.
Michigan trailed 10-5 and was 1-for-9 from the floor before sophomore Eli Brooks scored in transition at the 13-minute mark. U-M still trailed 10-9 at the second TV timeout after sophomore Jordan Poole cut and scored inside on a pass from Brazdeikis.
U-M finally took the lead at 11:18 on a drive and alley-oop from Brooks to junior center Jon Teske. Poole then found redshirt junior Charles Matthews underneath to open up a three-point lead.
The Wolverines continued to play smothering defense, forcing seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes. Poole’s first triple in four attempts at 8:37 gave U-M a 16-10 edge.
Michigan frosh Brandon Johns finally made an early appearance, but he only lasted a minute. He fouled a three-point shooter and went back to the bench.
U-M finally got it going offensively. Brooks drove and finished, and Matthews and Livers both tripled from the left corner to open a 24-13 advantage and force a Falcons timeout at 5:59.
Air Force scored four points around another Brooks drive and finish to stay within 11, 28-17, at the last TV timeout of the first half. The Falcons scored the last four of the half to close within seven at the break.
Brooks was Michigan’s best player in the first half, scoring six points and adding two assists and notching a plus-10 while on the floor. Matthews led the U-M scorers with seven, while Brazdeikis and Poole each scored five.
U-M shot only 39.3 percent from the floor and 4-for-15 from long range.
SECOND HALF
Lavelle Scottie (20 points) opened the scoring for Air Force with a drive and finish that cut U-M’s lead to five, and Poole drove into traffic for an offensive foul that sent him to the bench. The Falcons had all the momentum.
Matthews, though, finally started to heat up. He hit a pair of jumpers and Brazdeikis scored on a drive and a steal and reverse dunk to push the lead to 39-28 at the 15:27 mark.
Back-to-back triples from Livers and Brazdeikis finally gave U-M a bit more breathing room, making it 49-35.
Livers hit another one straightaway after a Falcons backdoor finish to make it 52-37.
U-M continued to struggle with Air Force’s backdoor cuts, but the hot shooting allowed the Wolverines to stay several steps ahead. Poole’s long triple made it 57-42 at the third TV timeout.
The Wolverines continued to pull away and held a 66-45 lead at the 3:56 mark when Brazdeikis tripled from the corner. They emptied the bench and closed it out, freshman Colin Castleton capping the scoring with a three-point play.
Brazdeikis led the scoring with 19 points. Matthews added 17 points and seven rebounds and Livers and Poole added 11 points each for U-M, which improved to 12-0.
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