Michigan handed first loss in national title game rematch against UConn
· Yahoo Sports
BOSTON — It seemed like the Wolverines were walking into a lion’s den.
A motivated UConn team that was out for revenge. A rowdy crowd that was buzzing from start to finish. An essential true road game at a neutral site.
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In a rematch of last season’s national championship game, No. 20 Michigan couldn’t overcome a rough finish to the first half and a lackluster shooting performance in an 85-77 loss to No. 5 UConn on Friday, Nov. 6 at TD Garden.
Trey McKenney scored 22 – all coming in the second half – J.P. Estrella had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Roddy Gayle Jr. added 18 points for Michigan (1-1), which shot 41.3% from the field (26-for-63) and trailed much of the way.
The Wolverines, despite struggling to make shots outside the paint, stayed in contact throughout much of the first half until the Huskies closed that half on a 9-0 run to build a 13-point lead.
And on a night where Michigan’s offense could never get comfortable and shot 7-for-28 from 3-point range, that hole continued to grow in the second half. Two 3-pointers from Jayden Ross widened UConn’s margin to 52-34 with 16:22 to play.
The Wolverines chipped away at deficit behind McKenney. After a scoreless first half where he missed all seven of his shots, McKenney came alive and scored 11 points in the span of 4:11 to cut it to single digits. Most of his damage came from deep, where he hit three 3-pointers in less than three minutes to pull Michigan within 64-55 with 9:25 to play.
Not enough stops and too many fouls prevented Michigan from climbing all the way back, as UConn pushed the lead back to double digits in a flash. A live-ball turnover by the Wolverines preceded a putback by the Huskies. A missed 3-pointer by Michigan was followed by a deep ball by UConn. Just like that, Michigan trailed 69-55 at the 8:11 mark.
The Wolverines could never get closer than eight the rest of the way as they couldn’t pass their first real test of the regular season.
Moustapha Thiam made his regular-season debut after missing the opener with an illness and finished with two points and five rebounds in 15 minutes.
Braylon Mullins scored 23, Silas Demary Jr. 21 and Colben Landrew 14 for UConn (2-0), which shot 41.8% from the field (23-for-55), went 9-for-22 from 3-point range and made more free throws (30) than Michigan attempted (23).
Michigan beat UConn, 69-63, seven months ago in the NCAA Tournament final to win the program’s second national championship. That game was a grind-it-out battle and a 40-minute street fight.
Round 2 got off to a similar start, and the Huskies threw the first punch to put the Wolverines on their heels. UConn ripped off string of seven unanswered points before Mullins and Demary hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 13-7 lead less than five minutes into the game.
Elliot Cadeau was Michigan’s primary source of offense in the early going. He grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a corner 3-pointer. He had a nasty crossover dribble on UConn’s Jayden Ross that led to an and-1 layup and a mini skirmish where Cadeau and Ross were given double techs. Cadeau was also shaken up on the play and held his right wrist that needed to get taped up.
The Wolverines were chasing throughout the first half and couldn’t build any momentum, even as UConn’s starters racked up the personal fouls. After Gayle had an and-1 layup that cut the deficit to three, Mullins answered with a 3-pointer. After another three-point play from Gayle cut UConn’s lead to 27-25 with 6:29 left in the first half, Demary countered with an and-1 bucket of his own.
The Wolverines kept hanging around and stayed within a few possessions until a brutal close to the half. Michigan had just one field goal in the final 5:52 and was scoreless over the final 4:19. After Michigan gave up an uncontested dunk, a live-ball turnover led to transition 3 the other way. A 9-0 run by UConn put Michigan in a 43-30 hole at the break.
@jamesbhawkins
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan handed first loss in national title game rematch against UConn