Michigan Opens Boynton Era With Win Over Oakland
No. 16 Michigan defeated Oakland 84-68 in Ann Arbor on November 2, giving coach Mike Boynton a victory in his first game leading the defending national champions.
Michigan began its title-defense season with a win, though the Wolverines did not pull away from Oakland until after halftime. They were favored by 26.5 points, but Oakland stayed within reach for much of the game as Michigan dealt with turnovers and foul trouble.
Roddy Gayle and Trey McKenney led Michigan with 17 points apiece. J.P. Estrella, filling in at center, contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds. Starting center Moustapha Thiam, a transfer from Cincinnati, missed the opener because of an illness.
Freshman Quinn Costello added 13 points, including two second-half three-pointers that helped Michigan build a 14-point advantage. He accounted for 13 of the Wolverines’ 22 points from their bench.
Michigan struggled from beyond the arc, making 21% of its three-point attempts. The team also committed 23 fouls, and Estrella fouled out with about five minutes left. Oakland’s Chris Fields Jr. scored 18 points, while Nassim Mashhour had 16 and Ryder Bradley added 12 off the bench.
Boynton’s first game as head coach came after he was promoted from assistant when Dusty May left to coach the Dallas Mavericks. Michigan next faces No. 4 UConn in Boston on Friday. Oakland is scheduled to visit Stanford that night.