Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
1-1
Michigan
2-0
Bison Fall to No. 24/23 Michigan 77-53
11/17/2014 10:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Zak Irvin scored 23 points and reserve center Max Bielfeldt came off the bench to score a career-high 18 to lift No. 24/23 Michigan to a 77-53 win over visiting Bucknell on Monday night in a Progressive Legends Classic game at the Crisler Center. Michigan native Chris Hass scored 21 for the Bison, who fell to 1-1 on the season with another ranked opponent looming on Thursday in No. 12 Villanova.
In the first meeting between these two teams, the Wolverines took control of the game right from the start, racing out to a 10-0 lead just 3:15 in. Bielfeldt, who had just come into the game after starting center Mark Donnal picked up a quick foul, hit the first of his two 3-pointers from the top of the key to cap the run.
Ryan Frazier fed Nana Foulland for a layup to get the Bison on the board, and after a 3-pointer by Hass and a spinning layup by MacLeay, Bucknell's deficit was just 14-7. But Bielfeldt's second three ignited another 10-0 run for the Wolverines to make it 24-7, and the lead grew all the way to 48-17 with a minute to play in the half.
Bucknell shot 31.8 percent and committed 12 turnovers in the first half, while Michigan shot 54.5 percent with only two turnovers. The Wolverines also parlayed seven offensive rebounds into 11 second-chance points.
The Bison were better offensively in the second half, particularly when Hass got red-hot, but the deficit was just too steep. Hass made five straight jumpers – four of them from 3-point range – during one stretch, and he went over the 20-point mark for the third time in his career.
Foulland scored nine points on 4-for-5 shooting and also led the Bison with seven rebounds. Hass made 7 of 14 shots and 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Steven Kaspar added seven for Bucknell, which shot 39.6 percent overall and went 6-for-20 from 3-point range after outscoring Michigan 34-29 in the second half.
Derrick Walton Jr. added 15 points and eight rebounds for Michigan, which shot 46.0 percent from the field and hit 8 of 18 treys. Bielfeldt, a senior, had a previous career high of four points, but he went 7-for-9 from the field and 3-for-3 from the arc en route to 18 points.
The Bison continue their busy week on Thursday at No. 12 Villanova, and then they return home on Saturday night to face Mount St. Mary's.
