NCAAB Game Recap - Michigan at Gonzaga
Fri Nov 29, 2019 2:06 PM EST

Winth
70
Duke
83
F
W Ky
54
Lou
71
F
MD
80
Harv
73
F
UNC
78
Oreg
74
F
Mich
82
Gonz
64
F
UAB
58
KY
69
F
Morg
57
OhSt
90
F
TxTch
76
Crei
83
F(OT)
IaSt
76
Seton
84
F
Penn
82
Ariz
92
F
UtSt
73
StMar
81
F
FSU
60
Tenn
57
F
VCU
56
Purd
59
F
Marsh
67
Fla
73
F
JSU
71
ChiSt
62
F
Eurek
60
NOrl
125
F
CAPoly
69
LIU
82
F
LongB
75
Wake
88
F
(N/A)
40
S UT
126
F
UMass
57
Rut
82
F
KTChr
42
Lib
88
F
Temp
65
TAMU
42
F
ASU
56
Chat
74
F
(N/A)
57
IlSt
76
F
DeP
73
Minn
68
F
USC
79
Marq
101
F
Campbl
74
GaSo
84
F
TNSt
81
NFla
73
F
Prov
55
Charl
63
F
SIU-E
51
UCRiv
69
F
SEMO
75
SCla
87
F
PSU
85
Syr
64
F
UND
78
FlGlf
63
F
HolyC
69
FAU
87
F
MD-ES
56
Del
75
F
(N/A)
47
Akr
64
F
Fairf
56
David
67
F
Denv
65
CS-Ful
62
F
Iowa
73
SDSU
83
F
AbCh
51
SMU
70
F
MOSt
58
LSU
73
F
UCF
78
Pepp
65
F
UCDav
73
Utah
77
F
Copp
62
Mont
69
F
UNCW
59
Bois
80
F
Bama
83
USM
68
F
Miss
37
OkSt
78
F
Gram
58
UCSB
67
F
Hamp
57
CSBak
70
F
Longw
51
Pacif
69
F
USF
75
HI
85
F

Nov 29, 2019, 2:06 PM EST

Final

1

2

T

Michigan

36

46

82

(8) Gonzaga

25

39

64

Michigan beats No. 8 Gonzaga 82-64 to win Atlantis title
Fri Nov 29, 2019 6:09 PM

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) Juwan Howard was standing at the center of his Michigan team posing for oncourt pictures when he finally grabbed the hefty Battle 4 Atlantis championship trophy from the table in front of him.

The first-year coach tipped it backward to peek at the front and the large seashell on its base, then used both hands to hoist it above his head with a celebratory scream.

"It's gratifying to be able to hold up that trophy and say, you know what? All that sacrifice we put through, all the hard work we put in, it was well worth it," Howard said.

There was no arguing with the results, either. His Wolverines again overwhelmed a highly ranked opponent with their flowing offense to beat No. 8 Gonzaga 82-64 in Friday's title game. And that closed a three-game run that saw Michigan go from arriving in the Bahamas as an afterthought in an eight-team tournament featuring four AP Top 25 teams to commanding everyone's attention.

"Well, I'm sure we're on the map now," Howard said with a big grin.

Jon Teske added 19 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks as the tournament's most valuable player for the Wolverines (7-0).

Yet the story was more about the way Michigan won the title than any stats. The Wolverines handled Iowa State in Wednesday's opener, then led No. 6 North Carolina by 24 at one point during Thursday's win before beating the Zags (8-1). And that secured a pair of early marquee wins for Howard, the longtime NBA player and member of Michigan's "Fab Five" a quarter-century ago.

This one had a similar feeling to the UNC win, too, with Michigan's offense kicking into a hot-shooting gear midway through the second half to take control and build a huge lead.

"We're having fun together," Teske said. "We're sharing the ball. We know where we're going to be on the court at all times.

Michigan led just 38-36 when the shots started falling from just about everywhere: a 3-pointer from Zavier Simpson, two drives from freshman Franz Wagner, a 3 from Livers and two more from David DeJulius.

It was a burst of 10 straight scoring possessions - with Michigan moving the ball to get good looks on just about every one - that put the Wolverines up 62-43 by the midway through the second half.

Gonzaga never got the lead below double figures again.

Killian Tillie scored 20 points for the battered Bulldogs, who dealt with numerous injury concerns over the three-day tournament. Gonzaga just couldn't keep up with the Wolverines and finished the game shooting 40%.

"Every time we made a mental breakdown, they scored," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "They literally made us pay on every one of our assignments that we screwed up - a switch or we screwed up a coverage. And they made us pay, so they deserve a lot of credit for that."

Michigan shot 54%, including 12 of 23 from 3-point range. And by the end, there was even the sight of Howard breaking out dance moves for his players as they held a sign proclaiming Michigan as the Atlantis champs.

"We work hard as a group," Howard said. "Why not have some fun?"

BIG PICTURE

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs fought through a semifinal win against No. 11 Oregon as their highlight of the Thanksgiving-week tournament. But Few would probably love to use the coming days to get healthy, with Tillie missing the opener as he continues playing his way back from an October knee surgery. Gonzaga again didn't have Anton Watson because of an ankle injury.

"It's going to be crucial the next couple of days to rest our bodies and just focus on that and get ready for the next game," Tillie said. "But yeah, it was a tough three days for the team."

Michigan: Howard took over for John Beilein and inherited a team that lost its top three scorers to leave uncertainty even with several experienced players returning. But the Wolverines shot 50% or better in every game, handled two top-10 teams with ease - and likely secured themselves a debut in next week's latest AP Top 25 poll.

"We don't really pay attention to all the media stuff," Livers said as Howard nodded next to him. "We want to play Michigan basketball and that's all we're going to be focused on."

RECORD (AGAIN)

Simpson had 13 points and tied his own Atlantis tournament record with 13 assists for Michigan. This time, however, he had just two turnovers compared to the eight he had when setting the record against Iowa State.

UP NEXT

Gonzaga: The Zags host Texas Southern on Wednesday.

Michigan: The Wolverines visit No. 2 Louisville on Tuesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in what has become a very big game on the national schedule.

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Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aaronbeardap

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

Leaders

Michigan PTS +/- AST REB ST BLK
I. Livers 21 0 1 1 0 1
J. Teske 19 0 0 15 1 4
Gonzaga PTS +/- AST REB ST BLK
K. Tillie 20 0 1 3 0 0
J. Ayayi 9 0 4 7 0 0

Team Comparison

Mich Gonz
Points For 82 64
Field Goals 34/63-54% 26/65-40%
Three Pointers 12/23-52% 6/12-50%
Free Throws 2/5-40% 6/13-46%
Offensive Rebounds 7 13
Defensive Rebounds 31 24
Rebounds 41 39
Blocks 6 1
Steals 5 6
Turnovers 11 13
Personal Fouls 12 8
Technical Fouls 0 0
Ejections 0 0

2019-20 Reg Season - Mich Leads Series 1-0

Date Result Away Pts Ldr Home Pts Ldr
Fri Nov 29 Mich 82 @ Gonz 64 I. Livers 21 K. Tillie 20

Game Information

Stadium: Imperial Arena at Atlantis Resort, Nassau, Bahamas
Attendance: 1,503
Game Time: