L.J. Cason shines with 20 points in Crisler Center debut

Toledo put up a good fight against Michigan at Crisler Center in Friday night’s exhibition game, but Michigan’s fast-paced offense was too much for the Rockets to handle in the upset bid. The Wolverines escaped with a 96-92 victory, thus concluding exhibition play.

Michigan’s offense was freezing cold to start the game. The Wolverines missed seven of their first eight shots, and there seemed to be a lid on the basket for Dusty May’s team.

Luckily for the Wolverines, they combated the poor shooting by forcing four early turnovers of the Rockets. Toledo was never able to secure more than a four-point lead in the early going.

Surprisingly, Michigan then caught a spark off the bench in freshman L.J. Cason. The freshman, who arrived in Ann Arbor after being committed to May at Florida Atlantic, entered the game and immediately connected on a 3-point attempt.

Cason stayed hot and converted on two layups before drilling another bucket from distance. Over a three-minute stretch in the first half, Cason scored 10 of Michigan’s 12 points.

Before the end of the first half, Cason scored eight more points and was perfect from the floor. He connected on all six of his shots from the floor, made all four of his 3-point attempts and made each of his two free throw attempts. He led all scorers with 18 first-half points.

Will Tschetter added nine points in the first half, and Roddy Gayle Jr. contributed with six as well.

The Wolverines’ offense, including Cason, went quiet in the second half. Michigan struggled to get going in the beginning minutes of the second half, despite dropping 50 points in the first 20 minutes.

Gayle Jr., Wolf, Burnett and Tschetter all scored a bucket in the first six-and-a-half minutes of the second half, but the Wolverines could not find any consistent scoring.

Toledo put together a 10-0 run early on in the second half, and the Wolverines suddenly saw what once was a 16-point lead trimmed down to six.

The teams traded baskets for much of the second half, as Michigan continued to stave off the Rockets’ comeback bid. Toledo cut the deficit to one point with 3:13 to go in the game, but a big-time Gayle Jr. triple with just over a minute to go sealed the game for Michigan.

It was a quiet second half for Cason, who registered just two points in the second half, but the freshman, who played 19 minutes, will clearly be a key piece in the rotation for Michigan this season.

With the win, Michigan concludes exhibition play with a 2-0 record. The Wolverines dismantled Oakland at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday, and they snuck past Toledo on Friday night.

The Wolverines will officially begin the regular season on Monday, Nov. 4, when they host Cleveland State. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m., and the game will air on the Big Ten Network.

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