Danny Wolf shined in his #Michigan debut, leading the Wolverines with 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Wolverines routed the Cleveland State Vikings, 101-53. Here’s the recap from @_charlespost:
The Michigan Wolverines tipped off the regular season with a runaway 101-53 win over the Cleveland State Vikings in head coach Dusty May’s debut on Monday. Michigan forward Danny Wolf was phenomenal in his debut, racking up a team-high 19 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and three steals on 8/10 shooting from the field in the win.
After finishing the first half on a dominant run to take a 54-26 lead into halftime, the Wolverines were able to cruise in the second half and start the new era with a resounding win at home. Michigan backcourt duo Tre Donaldson and Roddy Gayle Jr combined for 29 points and 11 assists, while forward Will Tschetter added 15 points off the bench.
FIRST HALF
Michigan jumped out to a double-digit lead midway through the first half as big man Danny Wolf grabbed a steal in the open court and finished a fast-break slam on the other end. From that point forward, the Wolverines put together a 22-5 run and held Cleveland State scoreless for more than five minutes to build an insurmountable 54-26 lead at halftime.
Wolf fueled the offense with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, while Gayle Jr added 11 points and three assists in the opening half. Michigan compiled 30 points in the paint, 18 fast-break points and shot an impressive 20-of-28 from the field to help pull away from Cleveland State heading into the locker room.
Opening Night Victory!
Wolf: 19p | 13r | 8-10 FG
Donaldson: 16p | 7a | 4-4 FG
Tschetter: 15p | 7-9 FG | 1-2 3FG#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/pD9sgQHGBZ— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) November 5, 2024
SECOND HALF
Michigan guard L.J. Cason came in early in the second half, and the freshman went on to score eight straight points, including a pair of three-pointers and an acrobatic layup. The Wolverines continued to pour it on with a slew of fast-break buckets, highlighted by a two-handed dunk from guard Nimari Burnett .
The Wolverines fell just short of setting a program-record by shooting 68.4 percent from the field but the offense was dynamite from start to finish, putting up 1.37 points per possession en route to recording 56 paint points and 47 bench points. Six players scored in double figures as Michigan displayed its depth and started the season on a high note.
With a chance to move to 2-0 on the season, the Wolverines will hit the road for a matchup against ACC opponent the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2. It will be an early opportunity for Michigan to pick up a quality win on a neutral site but Wake Forest will likely have an advantage with the game being in Greensboro.