Roddy Gayle and Trey McKenney each scored 17 points to lead No. 16 and defending national champion Michigan to an 84-68 victory over Oakland University in the season opener on Monday in Ann Arbor.
Michigan leaned heavily on its interior scoring to offset early shooting struggles from beyond the arc. The Wolverines finished 24-of-37 on two-point field goal attempts, though they struggled from long distance, connecting on just 7 of 34 shots from 3-point range. J.P. Estrella, a transfer from Tennessee, anchored the frontcourt with a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Quinn Costello also provided a spark off the bench, contributing 13 points for the victors.
Oakland kept the contest competitive by crashing the glass, holding a 44-42 rebounding advantage built on 21 offensive boards. Chris Fields Jr. led the Golden Grizzlies with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Nassim Mashhour added 16 points. Ryder Bradley chipped in 12 points off the bench in the losing effort. Despite their success on the boards, the Golden Grizzlies struggled to find a rhythm from deep, hitting 6 of 26 3-point attempts, and committed 15 turnovers compared to just nine for Michigan.
The Wolverines established early control in the first half. Holding a narrow 21-19 advantage with 7:53 remaining before intermission, Michigan put together an 8-0 run capped by an Estrella basket to push its lead to 29-19. Oakland responded with a 10-5 spurt to trim the margin to 34-29 and later pulled within four at 40-36. However, Michigan closed out the half with a 7-0 surge to carry a 47-36 lead into the locker room.
After intermission, the Wolverines extended their advantage to 62-47 with 11:44 left in regulation. Oakland mounted a counter-offensive, rattling off eight consecutive points capped by a basket from Warren Marshall that sliced the deficit to 62-55 with 8:34 remaining.
Any hopes of a complete comeback were quickly extinguished. Michigan answered with a 9-0 run of its own, stretching the lead back to 71-55 following a basket by Gayle with 6:10 on the clock. The Golden Grizzlies were unable to pull within single digits for the remainder of the contest, allowing the Wolverines to secure a comfortable opening-night win.
