Hunter Dickinson powered for 27 points and six rebounds as No. 6 Michigan defeated Buffalo in the opener for both teams, 88-76 on Wednesday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Terrance Williams II supplied 15 points and seven rebounds while Eli Brooks had 11 points and four assists for the Wolverines. Freshman Caleb Houstan added 11 points in his debut.
Senior Jeenathan Williams scored a career-high 32 points for the Bulls, shooting 14-for-22 from the field. He also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Ronaldo Segu had 15 points and four assists for Buffalo, and Josh Mballa chipped in 13 points.
The Wolverines shot 54.2 percent from the field while Buffalo made 41.2 percent of its attempts.
Michigan led 51-36 at halftime. The Wolverines shot 57.6 percent from the field before the break and outscored the Bulls 24-14 in the paint while piling up an 11-2 advantage in second-chance points. Dickinson scored 12 points before halftime, while Williams led Buffalo with 15 points.
The Wolverines had an early 13-2 run to gain a 21-9 advantage. Houstan produced a three-point play and a 3-pointer during that run.
Michigan also had a 14-2 spurt for a 40-19 lead. That was capped off by a Terrance Williams II four-point play.
Buffalo went on a 13-3 run early in the second half to pull with seven points. Segu scored seven of those points and Jeenathan Williams finished it off with a jump shot.
A Dickinson putback with 12:34 remaining gave Michigan a 66-53 lead.
Jeenathan Williams scored inside to cut Michigan’s lead to 68-60 with 9:40 left. He then converted a leaner, but Terrance Williams II answered with a fadeaway.
Buffalo twice pulled within five points, but Terrance Williams II drained a 3-pointer with 5:18 remaining to make it 75-67.
Dickinson sank two free throws with 4:11 left to give the Wolverines a 79-69 lead. Brooks made it a 12-point spread with a floater.
–Field Level Media
