Michigan rolls past UTC men
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball team had the leading scorer in Friday’s game at Michigan, but the visitors never had the lead.
UTC’s Kevin Easley finished with a game-high 21 points thanks to his big second half, but the Mocs lost 83-55 to the ninth-ranked Wolverines at the Crisler Center.
Easley’s performance was highlighted by a 5-for-6 showing from 3-point range, including 4-for-4 from behind the arc in his 18-point second half. He shot 7-for-9 overall and led the Mocs (2-5) with seven rebounds in 28 minutes.
“His shot selection and his shot preparation was good,” UTC coach Lamont Paris said. “He’s a capable player. He’s a talented player.”
UTC shot 36 percent from the floor overall, although the Mocs were much better in the second half, making 45 percent from the field, including 5-for-11 from 3-point range. They were 9-for-22 on 3-pointers in the game, their second-most made this season. They had 11 in the opener against Charlotte.
The Mocs’ scoring dropped off after Easley, though, with Jerry Johnson’s eight points second. Maurice Commander and Donovann Toatley had three assists each for UTC, which managed just two steals.
Michigan, which remains undefeated through six games and has won each of those by at least 19 points, had a lot of experience returning from its 2018 national runner-up team. That combination of talent and experience showed in the early going against the Mocs as the Wolverines built a double-digit
lead less than six minutes into the game.
Michigan freshman Iggy Brazdeikis scored 20 points, and Jordan Poole added 14 as the Wolverines avoided a letdown in their first game back in Ann Arbor after three impressive wins away from home.
Isaiah Livers, who scored all 12 of his points in the first half, was 4-for-5 from the field. He was 2-for-3 from 3-point range, and he’s 11-for-20 (55 percent) from behind the arc this season after finishing last season at 36 percent.
“Last year, what was happening (was) he wasn’t consistent with his footwork and the arc on his shot. Down the stretch last year, he couldn’t make many shots,” Wolverines coach John Beilein said. “You see much more arch on his shot, and occasionally — frequently, I should say — you see really good rotation.”
The lead was 42-22 at halftime, and the Wolverines led by 36 during the second half. UTC is only the second team this season to score more than 47 points against Michigan, which won 73-46 at Villanova on Nov. 14 before picking up back-to-back neutral-site wins against George Washington, 84-61, and Providence, 66-47, heading into Friday’s game.
Michigan shot 49 percent from the field and made eight 3-pointers. The Wolverines were 17-of-24 from the foul line, where UTC was 2-for-4.
“They’re really good. They’re really good,” Paris said on the postgame radio broadcast. “That was a big challenge. They’re experienced, they’re well-coached and they’re defending at a high level. I thought we gave them too many things offensively, but they also earned a lot. They have a good team, no two ways about it.”
Each team had a 7-footer in the starting lineup, with Michigan’s 7-foot-1 Jon Teske up against Chattanooga’s 7-foot Thomas Smallwood. Each player finished with seven points. Teske led all players with 12 rebounds and had three of Michigan’s 10 steals.
“I think he knows his role and has embraced it. I think he’s a perfect fit, really, for what they do,” Paris said. “I think he’s capable as a shooter, so you can’t just slough off on some of those other guys and over-help. He’ll make the 15-footer.”
The Mocs return to competition at 7 p.m. Tuesday at McKenzie Arena, hosting Hiwassee College (5-4), a member of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association.