Michigan rolls over George Washington, 84-61

The Michigan Wolverines will move on to the final of the Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off after they defeated the George Washington Colonials, 84-61.

The team started off hot led by multiple shots made by senior Charles Matthews giving the Wolverines a 28-10 lead at the half way point of the first.

But Michigan would go cold heading into the half. George Washington would go on a 9-0 run because of missed free throws and a plethora of turnovers by the Wolverines. With five minutes to go in the first half, George Washington cut the Michigan lead to just nine points at 28-19.

After 10 straight points by George Washington guard DJ Williams, the Wolverines led by just by just six points with three minutes to go in the half.

Michigan would go on a short run and take a 35-26 lead heading into the half. Charles Matthews led all scorers with 14 points at the break.

The Wolverines came out of the half scorching hot from behind the arc going 3-3 from deep in the first three minutes of the half. Two of these came from junior guard Zavier Simpson on back to back possessions. They went on a 16-5 run in the first five minutes of the half giving the Wolverines a 52-33 lead.

Soon after, sophomore guard Jordan Poole would heat up hitting a trio of three pointers in three straight possessions. This helped the Wolverines pull away from the Colonials and there would be no turning back. Michigan suddenly had a thirty point lead at the halfway point of the second, 69-39.

For a majority of the remainder of the game, John Beilein elected to play some of his talented freshman and reserves as every player on the roster saw playing time for the second straight game.

The Wolverines would finish with a 84-61 victory over George Washington behind a combined 47 points from Matthews and Poole.

One name not called very often today was freshman Ignas Brazdeikis. He found himself in foul trouble early recording two fouls in the first ten minutes as he would score a career-low five points.

Player of the game:

Despite big point production from Charles Matthews and Jordan Poole, the player of the game in this one was point guard Zavier Simpson. He nearly recorded a triple-double scoring 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. He also sparked the Wolverines early in the second half after hitting back to back three-pointers that led to a huge 49 point half from Michigan. Hopefully there will be similar performances from the junior guard throughout the season.

Next Game:

The Wolverines will face the winner of the Providence and South Carolina match up immediately following the game. Tip off tomorrow from Mohegan Sun Arena will be at 1:30.