Michigan got a near triple double from Caris LeVert and the Wolverines’ size and superior ability finally took over as the homestanding UM basketball team outlasted the Hillsdale College Chargers 92-68 on Saturday.
LeVert, now the unquestioned leader of the Wolverines after watching former teammates Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III, and Mitch McGary enter the NBA draft, poured in 20 points to go with eight boards and nine assists. Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin added 22 and 20 points respectively.
Despite the gaudy numbers from the three Michigan standouts, the Chargers trailed by only 12 points late in the second half. The Wolverines were able to pull away as the clock wound down, however and managed to not spoil a night that they celebrated last year’s Big Ten title, the team’s third straight.
"It was nice to see all the hard work that we put in last year, to see that banner being raised," Irvin said. "But we know that was last year's team, and we've got a whole new team this year, and we've got to be able to work hard and just get better each day."
Hillsdale jumped out to an early 12-3 lead after freshman Stedman Lowry nailed three shots from behind the arc. From there, Michigan turned up its defense and rallied to take a 50-33 halftime lead but could not shake the Chargers until very late in the game.
Michigan made 52% of its shots including 11 of 19 attempts from three point range. Hillsdale was able to keep pace behind a game-high 28 points from Kyle Cooper.
The Wolverines will next face Bucknell on Monday night.
