Michigan basketball game: The Wolverines led 7-0 within a minute as Morez Johnson Jr. poured in a team-high 24 points against McNeese.
It was an eight-day layoff for No. 1 Michigan basketball, not that anyone could tell.
The Wolverines galloped past visiting McNeese at Crisler Center, 112-71, on Monday, Dec. 29, behind a familiar formula of work in the paint and outside shooting. U-M topped 100 points for the third straight game — crossing the century mark with more than six minutes remaining — and the sixth time in seven games. The 112 points were the most for the Wolverines since they dropped 121 on Oakland in their season opener.
Morez Johnson Jr. led the Wolverines with 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting and added 11 rebounds. Five other U-M players, including Yaxel Lendeborg with 16 points, scored in double figures while holding the Cowboys below 30% shooting from the field. Aday Mara finished with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists, Trey McKenney also logged 13 points, Nimari Burnett contributed 12 points and Roddy Gayle Jr. had 10.
Garwey Dual scored 15 points on 5-for-13 shooting to lead McNeese (10-3). Larry Johnson finished with 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds, Tyshawn Archie scored 12 and DJ Richards Jr. put up 11.
Michigan, which remained atop the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for the fourth straight week, just ahead of Arizona and Iowa State, jumps back into Big Ten play on Friday with a visit from USC.
Cowboy down
Michigan didn’t even give McNeese a chance to stick around. The Wolverines jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first minute and a 15-5 lead 4:05 in, with Morez Johnson Jr. accounting for eight of U-M’s points.
Midway through the first half, it was 24-12 with the Wolverines playing a practically perfect game: 10-for-13 shooting, with the only misses coming from beyond the 3-point line, and a 16-0 edge on points in the paint.
McNeese pulled within 42-25 when Larry Johnson made a driving layup with 4:51 left before the break.
The Wolverines responded with an 11-0 run to seize a 53-25 advantage with 2:17 remaining before intermission. Mara made two free throws to start the spree, which included a layup by and two free throws by Gayle, another layup by Mara and a 3-pointer by L.J. Cason.
Soon after, the Wolverines put it away with an 11-2 run to stretch their lead to 20 with 7:26 left in the half. After 20 minutes, U-M then closed the half with a 17-4 run to head to the locker room up, 60-29. At the half, U-M held a 24-12 edge in paint points and a 27-13 rebounding lead, all while shooting 62.1% from the floor, and 40% on 3-point tries.
Morez Johnson finished the half with a team-high 13 points on 4-for-4 shooting, while Lendeborg added 11 points and five rebounds.
The rout continued as Michigan opened the second half with a 16-0 run. Mara and Burnett opened the surge with back-to-back layups, and Morez Johnson added a dunk moments later.
Next up for the Wolverines
U-M (12-0, 2-0 Big Ten) jumps back into Big Ten play with a visit from USC (12-1, 1-1) at Crisler Center on Friday (7 p.m., Peacock). The Trojans’ lone loss this season came at home against Washington by eight points on Dec. 6.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball mauls McNeese with dominance in the paint
Category: General Sports
