Morez Johnson Jr. scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and No. 1 seed Michigan pulled away for a 101-80 win over No. 16 Howard in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night in Buffalo, N.Y.
Aday Mara added 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting for Michigan (32-3), which advanced to the second round for the second season in a row. Mara chipped in seven rebounds and six assists, Nimari Burnett finished with 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting and Roddy Gayle Jr. chipped in 14 points (6 for 7) off the bench.
Bryce Harris and Cam Gillus scored 21 points apiece to lead Howard (24-11). Cedric Taylor III finished with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
The Wolverines shot 67.3% on the night (37 of 55) and outscored Howard 51-34 in the second half to secure the victory.
Playing in the Midwest Region, Michigan will face the winner of Thursday night’s game between No. 8 seed Georgia and No. 9 seed Saint Louis.
A 12-1 run in the second half gave Michigan a double-digit lead for good.
Gillus made a layup to trim Howard’s deficit to 65-58 with 15:22 remaining. Elliot Cadeau buried a 3-pointer on the next possession, which started the Wolverines’ run. Yaxel Lendeborg added a layup before Johnson made a dunk, Lendeborg made two free throws and Gayle knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 77-59 with 12:35 to go.
Michigan held on to a 50-46 lead at the half.
The Wolverines seized an 11-point lead with 57 seconds to go before the break. Will Tschetter drove toward the rim and dished a pass to Nimari Burnett, who weaved between defenders to make a layup as he was fouled. Burnett made the free throw to complete a three-point play and give Michigan a 50-39 edge.
But Howard scored the final seven points of the first half. Gillus converted a four-point play when he knocked down a 3-pointer, drew a foul and made the free throw to cut the Bison’s deficit to 50-43 with 31 seconds remaining in the half.
Harris punctuated Howard’s frenzied first half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Bison defender Ose Okojie made a steal seconds earlier to set up a chance for Harris’ late shot.
–Field Level Media
