Michigan Basketball Starts Season with Win Over Purdue Fort Wayne 75-56

 

By Aaron J. Thornton

 

The season opener for the Michigan Wolverines basketball team had its bright spots but also gave indication to areas where the young team needs to improve. The Wolverines have a number of new faces this year, five out of the top nine players are either freshman or transfers into Michigan.  Despite this, the #22 ranked team in the nation is expected to be one of the top teams in the Big Ten conference.

Monday’s match up brought the Mastodons from Purdue Fort Wayne to Ann Arbor, a team that returned seven of their top eight scorers from a year ago.  Although the team’s leading scorer did not play, Purdue Fort Wayne battled and took an early 8-4 lead over the Wolverines.  Michigan then went on a 20-0 run and didn’t look back as they cruised to a 75-56 victory.  

Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson led all scorers with 22 points on 9 of 11 shooting from the field.  He also added 12 rebounds in the game.  Highly touted Freshman Jett Howard of the Wolverines contributed 21 points and played 31 minutes in the game.  Purdue Fort Wayne was led in scoring by Quinton Morton-Robertson with 15 points.

The Wolverines will stay local and play at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday against neighboring Eastern Michigan (1-0).  

Final Score:  Michigan 75 – Purdue Fort Wayne 56