Owls just no match for Michigan’s musclemen

Ray’s hot hand gives KSU early lead, then Wolverines rumble.

ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Moe Wagner scored a career-high 20 points, leading four Michigan players who scored in double figures in an 82-55 win over Kennesaw State on Saturday.

Zak Irvin scored 19 points, D.J. Wilson added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Derrick Walton Jr. finished with 13 points and eight assists for the Wolverines (6-2).

Wagner, a 6-foot-11 sophomore from Berlin, Germany, made 7 of 8 shots from the floor, including 3 of 4 3-pointers to help Michigan improve to 51-1 under 10th-year coach John Beilein when it scores 80 or more points.

Kennesaw State (3-6) kept things interesting early when Kendrick Ray scored 10 of his game-high 24 points over a five-minute stretch of the first half to help the Owls erase Michigan’s early 10-2 advantage and take an 18-16 lead.

The Owls never led again, and Michigan was in control by halftime, when it took a 47-29 lead into the locker room. The Wolverines’ biggest lead was 35 points midway through the second half.

Big picture

Kennesaw State: Despite staying close early thanks to outside shooting, the Owls couldn’t compete against the bigger Wolverines on the inside. Aubrey Williams, a 6-foot-7 forward who ranked fourth in the country with 12.8 rebounds per game, had just four against Michigan’s bigger post players.

Michigan: The Wolverines, who tend to rely on their 3-point shooting, made 9 of 20 attempts from behind the arc, but also held a 36-20 scoring advantage in the paint and outrebounded the Owls 32-19.

TONY DING / AP Michigan’s 6-11 sophomore Moe Wagner, who is from Germany, goes up for a layup in the first half, one of 7 of 8 shots he made against Kennesaw State on Saturday.