Wolverines Win Exhibition Opener 73-54

The No. 15-ranked Michigan basketball team downed Wayne State 73-54 in an exhibition opener Friday night at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor. Manny Harris led the team with 25 points and five rebounds.

ANN ARBOR - The No. 15-ranked Michigan basketball team opened its new season with a dominating 73-54 exhibition win over Wayne State on Friday night at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor. Junior guard Manny Harris led the Wolverines with 25 points. Zack Novak added 15 points as well, all coming from behind the three-point arc.

Over the first 20 minutes of action the Wolverines opened a 37-22 lead. Harris and senior DeShawn Sims paced the Michigan attack over the first stanza. 16 of Harris' 25 points came in the decisive first half, and Sims, who finished with nine points, added seven before the break.

Meanwhile, as the Wolverines built their lead, Wayne State struggled shooting the ball. Wayne State hit just 31% of its shots in the first half, including just two triples in the first half. The Wolverines hit six three-balls over the same period.

The lead was extended to 21 points early in the second half before a Wayne State surge pulled the visiting team back within 11 points with 13 minutes remaining. Michigan then, though, put the game back out of reach 51-37 with an old fashioned Harris' three-point play.

Michigan also got six points each from Stu Douglass, on a pair of long balls, and Zack Gibson. Freshmen Darius Morris and Ben Cronin, back from an early season-ending injury last season, also added four points for the Wolverines.

Michigan opens the regular season next weekend hosting the Northern Michigan Wildcats next Saturday night at Crisler Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on the Big 10 Network.