Michigan runs away from William & Mary in high-scoring shootout

James Hawkins, The Detroit News on Nov 15, 2026

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan’s matinee matchup had all the makings of a track meet.

Against a William & Mary team that likes to press and play fast, that’s exactly what unfolded on Sunday, and the Wolverines didn’t mind.

No. 21 Michigan used a 75-point second half and a balanced scoring effort to run away from William & Mary, 123-79, in a high-scoring game at Crisler Center.

Quinn Costello scored 16 off the bench and Moustapha Thiam had 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots to lead Michigan (3-1), which had eight players score in double digits for the first time in program history and scored its most points in a game since 1990.

After a 10-point lead in the first half was cut in half by halftime, Michigan wasted little time getting on a roll out of the break and pulling away from William & Mary.

The Wolverines made their first four shots, including a pair of and-1 finishes by Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney. They turned defense into offense, with a steal by Cadeau preceding a paint bucket by Thiam. A 15-4 burst out of the locker room gave Michigan a 63-47 lead with 16:59 left in the second half and left William & Mary in the dust.

The Wolverines continued to distance themselves. Kenny Noland swished a corner 3-pointer to cap a string of seven unanswered points that made it a 23-point game. Ricky Liburd threw down a fast-break dunk over a William & Mary defender to cap a 7-0 burst that made it 92-66 with 8:39 to play.

Michigan hit the 100-point plateau for the first time this season when Costello buried his fourth 3-pointer at the 5:59 mark. The Wolverines took their largest lead when Jalen Reed’s dunk made it a 44-point game with 1:13 to go.

J.P. Estrella scored 15, McKenney 14 and Roddy Gayle Jr. added 13 for Michigan, which shot 48.3% from the field, made 14 3-pointers and turned 22 offensive rebounds into 25-second chance points. Oscar Goodman, Cadeau and Noland added 11 points apiece.

Stas Sivka had 13 points for William & Mary (2-2), which shot 38.8% from the field and had 2 turnovers that led to 36 points for Michigan.

Gayle came to play and got off to a hot start against William & Mary’s press defense. He finished through contact in transition. He splashed two 3-pointers. He had a steal that sparked another fast-break bucket. He scored nine points before the first media timeout as Michigan jumped out to a 12-5 lead.

William & Mary got off to a hot start from 3-point range to hang around in an uptempo game that was sloppy at times. The Tribe made five of their first seven shots from 3-point range to stay within a possession or two before the Wolverines went on another spurt.

Michigan kept getting out and running during an 8-0 burst that gave it a double-digit lead. A steal by Liburd led to a fast-break layup for Noland. A long rebound by Liburd ended in an alley-oop slam by Gayle in transition. Michigan pulled ahead, 31-21, with 10:23 left in the first half.

But just when it looked like the Wolverines were going to separate and pull away, they couldn’t widen the gap. Michigan missed nine consecutive shots, closed the half on a 2-for-12 shooting stretch and scored four points over the final 4:53.

When halftime arrived, Michigan took a 48-43 lead into the break despite William & Mary having nearly as many turnovers (14) as baskets (15) and not making a shot over the final 3:11.