NCAA BASKETBALL: No. 1 Michigan outshoots Howard in high-scoring win

Morez Johnson Jr. scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as No. 1 Michigan pulled away for a 101-80 victory over No. 16 Howard in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region on Thursday night.

Aday Mara added 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, contributing seven rebounds and six assists. Nimari Burnett finished with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Roddy Gayle Jr. chipped in 14 points (6-of-7) off the bench. With the win, Michigan (32-3) advanced to the second round for the second consecutive season.

“We stayed the course,” Wolverines coach Dusty May said. “We thought we took a haymaker from them in the first half, and our guys never played scared. They never played tight. They just continued to get to the next possession and found a way to separate in the second half.”

Bryce Harris and Cam Gillus led Howard (24-11) with 21 points each. Cedric Taylor III added 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and pulled down a team-high six rebounds.

Michigan shot an impressive 67.3 percent for the game (37-of-55) and outscored Howard 51-34 in the second half to secure the win.

The Wolverines will face No. 9 Saint Louis on Saturday, after the Billikens defeated No. 8 Georgia 102-77.

Second-Half Surge Secures Win

A 12-1 run in the second half gave Michigan a double-digit lead for good. After Gillus made a layup to bring Howard within 65-58 with 15:22 remaining, Elliot Cadeau hit a 3-pointer to spark the run. Yaxel Lendeborg added a layup, Johnson made a dunk, Lendeborg sank two free throws, and Gayle capped the surge with a 3-pointer to make it 77-59 with 12:35 to play.

Michigan had held a narrow 50-46 lead at halftime. The Wolverines extended the margin to 11 points with 57 seconds left in the first half when Will Tschetter passed to Burnett, who made a layup while drawing a foul. Burnett converted the free throw to complete a three-point play, giving Michigan a 50-39 lead.

Howard fought back to close the half, scoring the final seven points. Gillus completed a four-point play by hitting a 3-pointer, drawing a foul, and making the free throw to cut the deficit to 50-43 with 31 seconds remaining. Harris capped Howard’s frantic first half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer after teammate Ose Okojie stole the ball moments earlier.

-Field Level Media/Reuters