No. 20 Michigan Rolls Past Alabama A&M 87-57
ANN ARBOR (AP) - Evan Smotrycz had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 20 Michigan beat Alabama A&M 87-57 on Saturday.
Trey Burke led the Wolverines with 19 points, and Zack Novak and Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 13 each. Michigan (9-2) shot 55 percent from the field, 63 percent in the second half.
Casey Canty scored 15 points for the Bulldogs (2-4). Alabama A&M was playing its first game since Dec. 3 because of a break for finals.
It was Michigan's second consecutive game against a Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent. The Wolverines beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 63-50 on Tuesday.
Michigan took an early 13-2 lead on a nice lob from Novak to Jordan Morgan for a layup. Novak made it 22-9 with a dunk.
The Wolverines led 41-27 at halftime.
Smotrycz went 4 of 5 from the field. He's 15 of 19 over his last three games.
The Wolverines have won four straight since a loss at Virginia on Nov. 29. They have one more tuneup remaining, at home against Bradley on Thursday night, before opening Big Ten play against Penn State on Dec. 29.
Although Michigan was never in danger of losing to UAPB, they Wolverines allowed a late run in that game and struggled with turnovers.
Against Alabama A&M, coach John Beilein was able to play his reserves extensively down the stretch. Freshman Carlton Brundidge, who had played only 15 minutes all season, had three points and two rebounds in 13 minutes on Saturday.
The Wolverines shot 7 of 11 from 3-point range in the second half and were 10 of 22 for the game.
Jeremy Ingram scored 14 points for Alabama A&M. Jeremy Crutcher added 12 and Brandon Allen contributed 10.
The Bulldogs shot only 33 percent from the field but made nine 3-pointers. They'll be right back on the court Monday night against Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
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