Field Level Media
Nov 18, 2018
Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis powered for 20 points and seven rebounds as undefeated Michigan rolled to a 66-47 victory over Providence in the championship game of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament on Sunday at Uncasville, Conn.
Junior center Jon Teske supplied a career-high 17 points and grabbed six rebounds for Michigan, while Isaiah Livers tossed in eight points. Zavier Simpson filled the stat sheet with six points, six rebounds and eight assists.
Charles Matthews, the Wolverines' top scorer entering the game, was held to five points on 2-for-7 shooting, but it didn't matter.
The tournament title capped a big week for the No. 18 Wolverines (5-0), who could jump into the Top 10. They blew out No. 8 Villanova on the road, then dominated George Washington in the semifinals of the tournament before routing the Friars (3-2).
Providence, which defeated South Carolina on Saturday, was led by freshman David Duke's 12 points. Alpha Diallo and Nate Watson each added 10 points, but the Friars were held to 28.1 percent shooting. Michigan shot 44.2 percent.
Michigan led by nine early in the second half when Livers made a pair of threes in a 31-second span, stretching the advantage to 44-29. A back-door cut by Brazdeikis resulted in a layup and a 46-33 lead.
A Teske dunk with 12:11 left made it 48-35. A Teske putback nudged the lead to 53-36 with 9:42 remaining. The Wolverines increased their lead to 20 before Duke ended a Providence scoring drought that lasted over five minutes with a layup.
The Wolverines relied on their frontcourt for scoring in the opening half, as Teske and Brazdeikis combined for 21 points. That lifted the Wolverines, who had a 22-8 advantage in points in the paint, to a 35-22 halftime lead.
Michigan shot 48.3 percent from the field before the break and held the Friars to 27.6 shooting.
It was just the third meeting all-time between the programs and the first time Michigan prevailed.
--Field Level Media