A Learning Experience on the Road
Michigan’s men’s basketball team fell 82-77 to Lithuania’s reserve side in a tightly contested match that saw the Wolverines rally from an eight‑point deficit in the fourth quarter.
The defeat was compounded by the absence of key front‑court players Moustapha Thiam and Trey McKenney, who were sidelined by injury, while Ricky Liburd rested with a nagging problem and Jalen Reed and Lincoln Cosby were out with Achilles and ACL issues.
Stepping in at center, JP Estrella turned in a solid outing, posting 17 points and pulling down seven rebounds against the Lithuanian reserves.
Point guard Elliot Cadeau led the scoring charge with 19 points and added eight assists, even as he battled foul trouble that limited his minutes.
The team’s shooting woes were evident, as they converted only 11 of 43 three‑point attempts — a 25.6% clip — and shot just 36% from the field overall.
Despite the struggles, several freshmen seized the opportunity to gain valuable experience. Brandon McCoy contributed 15 points, while Quinn Costello added nine, though the latter went 3‑of‑11 from beyond the arc.
Coach Mike Boynton Jr. framed the overseas trip as a growth platform, emphasizing that the lessons learned will be applied when the Wolverines close their schedule with a final showdown against Serbia’s Mega Superbet on Aug. 27 in Croatia.