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Photo courtesy of Associated Press

Michigan 77, Houston Baptist 55
     On a night where most players on the Michigan team were shooting poorly (4-21 to start the game), it was big man DeShawn Sims who pulled the Wolverines out of their shooting slump in the first half.
     Peedi hit four 3-pointers, all from the exact same spot in the corner in front of the Houston Baptist bench, as he helped the team open up a 41-29 halftime lead. He would go on to hit another three-ball in the second half as he finished with 22 points along with 6 rebounds. Manny Harris led all scorers with 25 and also had a team-high 8 rebounds. Zack Novak contributed 7 rebounds as well, with many coming on the offensive end.
     Zack Gibson continued his impressive start to the season, scoring 8 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in only 14 minutes off the bench.
     For Houston Baptist, Bum of the Game Mario Flaherty scored 17 points and had 14 rebounds despite the constant heckling from the Maize Rage. He played all but two minutes of the game, and afterwards told Rage Page contributor Sam Sedlecky that he would finally accept his Facebook friend request. The two are now Facebook friends and have a blossoming relationship. Andrew Gonzalez was the only other HBU player in double figures, putting up 14 points.


Other Big Ten Games

Sunday, Nov. 22
Michigan State 90, Valparaiso 60
Purdue 85, St. Joseph's 60
Penn State 59, Davidson 57
George Mason 69, Indiana 66
Northwestern 69, Tennessee State 62

Monday, Nov. 23
Texas vs. Iowa
Tennessee vs. Purdue
Arizona vs. Wisconsin

Tuesday, Nov. 24
Lipscomb vs. Ohio State
Wofford vs. Illinois
Liberty vs. Northwestern

UPCOMING GAMES
Date Opponent Time
11/26 Creighton 12pm
11/27 Marquette or Xavier TBD
11/29 TBD TBD
   
RECENT NEWS
Michigan 97, Northern Michigan 50
 It was only a game against a Division-II opponent. It was a game against a team that finished below exhibition opponent Wayne State in the GLIAC conference a year ago. But fans are still excited about the Michigan basketball squad's impressive victory over the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Saturday night. On a weekend when football seemingly couldn't get any worse and the hockey team dropped back-to-back games against rival Michigan State, basketball emerged as the lone bright spot. Manny Harris had a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the Wolverines in a game that was never close.
     Emerging as the kind of shooter that coach John Beilein envisioned, Matt Vogrich came off the bench to hit 5-5 3-pointers en route to 15 points. Zack Gibson also contributed 11 on a nice array of dunks, short jumpers, and put-backs.
     The Maize Rage was packed once again, as students filled the bleachers and the overflow section behind the basket. There were even a good number of students in the upper deck - an area not expected to be needed until later in the season - as the number of students in attendance may have exceeded 1500.
     Bum of the Game Marc Renelique scored 11 for the Wildcats, but was 0-7 from beyond the arc in the first half. Tough defense by Darius Morris and Laval Lucas-Perry helped limit NMU's leading scorer, while Michigan also out-rebounded their opponent 48-28.
     Next up is Houston Baptist on Friday, November 20 (the night before the OSU football game). Doors open at 6pm, as the Wolverines try to continue their impressive start to the season.

Michigan 73, Wayne State 54 - Game Notes
Manny Harris led all scorers with 25, Zack Novak had 15 (all on 3-pointers), and every player saw the floor as the Wolverines took down the Wayne State Warriors, 73-54. The starting lineup was Peedi, Manny, and Air Novak in the frontcourt, with LLP and (surprise!) Darius Morris at the guard spots.
Darius looked decent defensively, especially since he was often guarding a player six inches shorter than him (Wayne State started three players under 6 feet tall), but offensively seemed to have some trouble scoring the ball. He still had three assists and looked like a great distributor. The other freshmen did not see as many minutes, though all showed some promise in their little time on the floor.
Peedi only had 9 points on 3-9 shooting, but was constantly double-teamed in the post because of his height advantage on everybody who tried guarding him. He essentially split time at center with Zack Gibson, who played nearly as many minutes as the All-Big Ten third teamer.
Northern Michigan comes to Ann Arbor next Saturday - 7pm start.

What are the pundits saying?
"Anticipation" is a good word to use when referring to our basketball team this fall. We anticipate a team that will be competing for a Sweet 16 berth. We anticipate no fewer than 20 wins for the second year in a row. And we anticipate one of the best years in Michigan basketball history. And the rest of the nation has started to take notice. Lindy's has us ranked ninth in the nation (third in the Big Ten), and Manny is gracing the cover with Kalin Lucas. Obviously, this is only a regional cover, but it still has all of us in the 'Rage excited for this season. The Sporting News has us in the top 25, and Rivals is counting down the top 30 teams in college basketball; with 26 to go, we still have not appeared on the list.

OVER 100 STUDENTS COME OUT TO MASS MEETING

The Maize Rage held their first mass meeting in three years Monday, September 28, and the Kuenzel Room in the Michigan Union was packed beyond capacity. Maybe it was the free food and drinks, but in all honesty it was probably the fact that John Beilein made an appearance. After President Nick Mattar and Superfan X Will McDowell spoke, coach Beilein gave a great speech about the importance of the Maize Rage and how it is the 'Rage that really gives the team the most support.