At the Buzzer: Michigan 84, Marquette 70

Rapid reactions to Michigan’s 84-70 win over Marquette in the second home game of the season.

The Moment

With just under nine minutes to play in the first half, Michigan found itself down 22-15 to Marquette. The Golden Eagles had just ripped off an 8-0 run to take a sizable lead, and the Wolverines needed a fast response to keep a grip on the game. They got one in the form of a 13-0 run of their own, one that gave them a lead they didn’t relinquish for the rest of the night.

JP Estrella was responsible for the first nine points of the run. He scored three straight buckets at the rim before wrangling in an errant pass in the lane and kicking to Quinn Costello, who buried the three.

Back-to-back steals on Michigan’s next two defensive possessions led to two more buckets, expanding the run to its final resting place. In two-and-a-half minutes, the Wolverines turned an 8-point deficit into a 6-point lead, taking back firm control that only tightened from there.

The Takeaway

Mike Boynton’s made it clear that his philosophy towards 3-pointers this season is to keep letting them fly. It doesn’t matter if the first 10 miss; chances are, with the shooters he has, a good amount of the next 10 will fall.

That was pretty close to what happened Wednesday night. The Wolverines went 2-for-11 from three in the first half, then came out of the break to hit three in a row from downtown on their first three offensive possessions. Michigan ended the second half 9-of-16 from beyond the arc, an astounding 56%, which helped create the double-digit lead at the close.

Boynton not only kept unwavering trust in his shooters after one bad half, but across a bad game as well. Costello went 1-for-5 from three against UConn Friday, but they were good looks all around. Boynton must’ve realized that, too, because Costello had the green light one again against the Golden Eagles. This time, Costello went 5-for-6 from three, a near mirror image of his performance less than a week ago.

It’s clear that 3-point volume is a core identity of this year’s Wolverines, but it hasn’t been without question that it would work. The long ball ended up clicking Wednesday night, and Michigan got a win over its best home nonconference opponent all season as a result.

The Star

JP Estrella was much more than the centerpiece of the Wolverines’ 13-point first-half run. He once again led Michigan in offensive rebounds (4) and finished with a team-high 18 points. He also had a nice pair of kick-outs that both immediately led to energizing 3-pointers, and perhaps most importantly, was able to play strong inside defense without putting himself in foul trouble.

Estrella played 31 minutes on Wednesday as only three fouls were called on him throughout the night. His presence was crucial to the Wolverines’ interior offensive success. In an extremely efficient outing, Estrella took 11 shots from in the paint and buried seven of them. That immediately follows up a 6-for-7 showing against the Huskies five days ago.

In these last two games, in which Estrella tallied over 30 minutes in each, we’re finally getting glimpses of his full potential for this team. The efficiency and rebounding were already there, but we’re seeing a lot more of it now due to increased discipline on the defensive side.

The Stat

Not a single Michigan player had more than three personal fouls Wednesday night. That’s an incredible feat for a team that’s previously had to limit its stars in every contest, including exhibitions, thus far.

All five Wolverines starters recorded over 25 minutes against the Golden Eagles, and all were still on the court in the final minute. That led to a very strong finish, including back-to-back triples from McKenney and another Costello three at the hands of Cadeau, the latter’s 10th assist of the night. The Wolverines ended the night making all of their final five field goals.

Michigan’s strongest end to a game yet came Wednesday, and it’s easy to assume a full slate of available starters is why.

Four Factors