JP Estrella scored a team-high 18 points Wednesday night and No. 20 Michigan used a big run in each half to earn an 84-70 nonconference win over visiting Marquette in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Estrella sank 8 of 12 shots and added eight rebounds for the Wolverines (2-1), who earned a 45-33 rebounding advantage and outscored the Golden Eagles 36-22 in the paint.
Elliot Cadeau stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Quinn Costello came off the bench to add 15 points, going 5 of 6 from 3-point range, as Michigan connected on 9 of 16 (56.3%) from the arc in the second half.
Trey McKenney added 15 points while Moustapha Thiam contributed nine points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Colin Porter scored a game-high 21 points off the bench and Adrien Stevens added 16 for Marquette (2-1), which trailed for the final 26-plus minutes. The cold-shooting Golden Eagles converted only 35.2% from the field, making only 13 of 38 shots (34.2%) inside the arc.
Ahead by eight at halftime, the Wolverines gradually built their lead to 58-36 when Cadeau made a free throw at the 10:41 mark. Marquette got as close as 60-51 on Alex Egbuonu’s layup with 7:14 to go, but Thiam and Estrella answered with layups.
Both teams were looking to prove something going into this game. The Golden Eagles were lightly tested in season-opening blowouts of Mercyhurst and Detroit Mercy, while the Wolverines were coming off a loss to Connecticut in a rematch of last season’s national championship.
Both teams struggled to make shots for the first 10 minutes, but Marquette emerged from its shooting woes first. It went on a 15-4 run to grab a 22-15 advantage when Porter canned a 3-pointer at the 8:56 mark.
However, Michigan was able to find the range over the last eight minutes of the half. Beginning with Estrella’s layup with 7:53 left, it finished the half on an 18-5 run. Estrella made a jump hook with 1:32 remaining to give the Wolverines a 35-27 cushion heading into the locker room.