ANN ARBOR — The Dusty May era got off to a roaring start on Monday night. Michigan dominated Cleveland State start to finish, winning 101-53 in the season opener and nearly setting a program record for hot shooting.
Final: 101-53
Record: 1-0
MVP: Danny Wolf (19 points, 13 rebounds)
Unsung hero: Tre Donaldson (16 points, seven assists, no turnovers)
Arch nemesis: The one missed shot that cost Michigan a program record
Top highlight: Wolf takes the ball out of the net with 12:36 left in the first half and inbounds to L.J. Cason, who passes ahead without dribbling to Roddy Gayle Jr. Gayle takes two dribbles into the paint and dunks five seconds after the play started, a great example of Michigan pushing the pace even after a made basket.
Rhyme time: Down an injured starter, Michigan made due // A season-opening win in Dusty’s debut
Michigan guard Rubin Jones was ruled out with an injury, though it didn’t seem serious. Nimari Burnett started in his place, an example of Michigan’s depth this season.
Michigan jumped on the Vikings early in a wire-to-wire win. The lead was 10 midway through the first half and, thanks to an 18-2 run, 28 by halftime.
Michigan was a little careless coming out of halftime but otherwise excellent. A string of 3s and dunks pushed the lead to 46 with 7:34 left. Will Tschetter (15 points) soared through the air for a didn’t-know-he-had-it-in-him dunk that made it 95-45.
Six Wolverines reached double figures scoring, including L.J. Cason (14 points) and Sam Walters (10). Roddy Gayle Jr. scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half. Donaldson didn’t miss a shot in a brutally efficient performance.
Michigan shot 68.4 percent from the field, including 10 of 18 from 3. Michigan’s program record for field-goal percentage in a game remains at 69.2, set against Alaska-Anchorage on Dec. 30, 1986.
Believe it or not, the Wolverines got off to a slow start offensively, but turned defense into offense. A pair of transition baskets gave them an 8-2 lead four minutes in. Tschetter’s 3 made it 13-4. Wolf stole a pass near the 3-point line and took it the other way for a breakaway slam to give Michigan a 17-7 lead with 13:38 left in the half.
From there, the margin bounced between eight and 10 points for a stretch Walters’ transition 3 made it 35-21 with 7:34 left in the half. Michigan kept rolling, denying Cleveland State at the rim several times and getting good looks at the other end. Cason’s strong drive pushed Michigan’s lead to 20. Wolf’s bucket made it 24 as the Vikings’ drought continued.
In total, it was an 18-2 run that gave the Wolverines full control, and they didn’t let up. Gayle’s quick-trigger 3 in transition made it 52-24 with just under a minute left in the half. Michigan led 54-26 at halftime.
For the final 2.5 minutes, Michigan emptied its bench. Harrison Hochberg scored two baskets. May’s son Charlie and Howard Eisley Jr., the son of a former Michigan assistant coach, were also on the floor, along with Jace Howard (Juwan Howard’s son). Justin Pippen (Scottie Pippen’s son) sat with an injury.
The next game figures to be tougher, as Michigan travels to Greensboro, North Carolina, to face ACC opponent Wake Forest on Sunday.
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