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Michigan basketball rallies past TCU for non-conference road win

Chris Balasby: Chris Balas6 hours agoBalas_Wolverine
Dusty May Mikey Boynton Jr.
Michigan Wolverines basketball head coach Dusty May and assistant Mike Boynton Jr. during a win over Oakland. (Photo by Lon Horwedel / TheWolverine.com)

It took a while, but Michigan rallied after playing behind much of the game for a 67-63 road win over TCU. The Wolverines improved to 3-0 after rallying from 8 down in the first half, cutting the deficit to 35-33 at the break, and then using an 11-0 run in the second half to seal the win.

Trailing 49-43 with 11:45 remaining, Michigan veteran guard Roddy Gayle Jr. started a run with a drive and finish at the rim. A dunk from center Aday Mara on a pass from forward Yaxel Lendeborg cut the deficit to two, and an offensive tip-in from Lendeborg finally tied the score at 49 with 7:16 remaining.

Freshman Trey McKenney then heated up to help the Wolverines pull away a bit. His three-point play and three-pointer from the corner keyed a run that made it 57-51 at 5:01, Michigan’s biggest lead, and U-M was in even better shape when forward Morez Johnson Jr. tipped in a miss at 2:19 to give the Wolverines a 7-point edge.

TCU would continue to battle, though. Down 63-59, the Horned Frogs got a layup from Brock Harding on the break and a putback after an and-one missed free throw that sliced the lead to two with :58 remaining. They had a chance to take the lead after an Elliot Cadeau offensive foul, but a Nimari Burnett steal and his two free throws pushed the lead back to 4 with 18 seconds remaining.

The Wolverines closed it out at the free throw line to notch their third win without a loss.

Lendeborg led Michigan with a double-double, 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Johnson added 10 points and 12 boards. McKenney scored 11, Burnett 8, and center Aday Mara notched six points and six rebounds in the win.