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Michigan dominates in the season opener and gives Dusty May its first win

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Michigan dominates in the season opener and gives Dusty May its first win

Ann Arbor – The Dusty May era in Michigan officially began in almost historic fashion.

Fueled by hot shooting and overwhelming runs in both halves, the Wolverines dominated Cleveland State to earn a 101-53 victory in Monday's season opener at Crisler Center.

The Wolverines shot an impressive 71.4% in the first half (20-28) and 68.4% in the game (39-57), giving May his first win as a head coach, setting a program record in field goal percentage.

The 68.4% mark ranks second in program history, behind the record 69.2% mark in a win over Alaska-Anchorage on Dec. 30, 1986.

Danny Wolf scored 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead the offensive attack and scored six double-digit points for Michigan. Tre Donaldson had 16 points and seven assists. Will Tschetter and freshman LJ Cason scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, off the bench. Roddy Gayle Jr. added 13 points and Sam Walters 10.

After scoring two baskets against Cleveland State in the final nine minutes of the first half to build a 28-point halftime lead, the Wolverines kept chugging along and lighting up the nets.

Wolf modified a layup attempt on one end and finished with a left layup on the other end. Donaldson found Cason for two 3-pointers before getting a deep ball of his own to roll in. The Wolverines made eight of their first 10 shots in the second half, including four from 3-point range, as the lead grew to 74. 38 with 12:23 remaining.

Michigan took a 91-40 lead with 6:13 left when Tschetter topped a 22-2 run with a jumper. When it was all over, Michigan put up 29 points off 21 takeaways, 47 points in the paint and 28 fast break points.

Dylan Arnett had seven points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland State, which was picked seventh in the Horizon League preseason poll. The Vikings shot 30% from the field (21 of 70) and had 25 second-chance points from 20 offensive rebounds.

Michigan was without Rubin Jones, who started in the team's two exhibition wins but was sidelined Monday with a leg injury. Nimari Burnett started in his place.

Michigan's active hands and defense fueled the offense in the early going. A steal from Gayle led to a fast break opportunity and two free throws for Donaldson. A shot blocked by Wolf led to a transition throw for Gayle. Another takeaway from Gayle led to a fast break layup for Donaldson.

The Wolverines followed a blocked layup from Vlad Goldin with a 3-pointer from Tschetter. Wolf intercepted a pass and ran the other way for a fast-break dunk, making it 17-7 with 13:38 left in the first half.

The only problem for Michigan was defense, where Cleveland State came away with offensive rebounds and conceded second-chance points. That prevented the Wolverines from building a lead of more than 10 points in the first 10 minutes – despite making nine of their first 11 shots – in a first half marred by foul trouble on both sides.

But when the Wolverines began to clear the field and limit the Vikings to one-shot possessions, they pulled away. Michigan ended the half on a 27-7 run in the final nine minutes, holding Cleveland State to two made field goals in that span.

During the frenzy, Sam Walters sank a three-pointer in transition immediately after Cleveland State's only shot in eight minutes. Gayle found Wolf for a layup to cap a string of 13 unanswered points before capping it off with a 3-pointer in transition and a driving layup to give Michigan a 54-26 lead at the break.

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@jamesbhawkins

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