Western Michigan's Jon Powell drives to the basket in the
Broncos 92-78 loss to Michigan.
(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) (Nov. 21) -- Western Michigan went on a 22-8 run to close the game and Steve Reynolds
scored a game-high 26 points, but WMU fell to Michigan in Ann Arbor, 92-78.
Gavin Groninger scored a career-best 20 points
and LaVell Blanchard added 19 for Michigan.
Bernard Robinson Jr. added 16 points and Chris Young 14 for the Wolverines (1-1).
Groninger scored one better than his previous career best of 19 points
in Michigan's season-opening 97-90 loss last week at Oakland, Mich. - a setback that
embarrassed the Wolverines.
Michigan had size on Western Michigan at just about every position and didn't
waste the advantage. Young, a 6-foot-9 junior, had a career-high 13 rebounds
as the Wolverines had a 39-32 edge on the boards.
Michigan's
Gavin Groninger goes to the basket past Western Michigan's Anthony Kann.
(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
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Blanchard had 12 points, Groninger 11 and Young 10 as Michigan, shooting 54
percent, opened up a 47-31 halftime lead.
Young, who also had seven first-half rebounds, converted a 3-point play after
a nice feed from Groninger, who then scored Michigan's next six points en route to
a 28-15 advantage midway through the period.
Blanchard's third 3-pointer of the half came in a 12-2 run that gave the Wolverines
their biggest lead at 43-23.
Michigan continued to stretch its lead in the second half, going up 75-46 when Josh
Asselin split a pair of free throws. That ended a 19-7 run that featured seven
points from Robinson and five from Maurice Searight, both freshmen.
The Wolverines also kept the Broncos at bay by making 16 of 21 second-half free throws.
That also helped them survive Western Michigan's game-ending run -
including a 15-0 spurt - led by 15 points from Reynolds.