Michigan basketball smashes San Diego State in Players Era Festival

On Day 1 of the Players Era Festival tournament in Las Vegas, Michigan basketball hit a royal flush

The No. 6 Wolverines manhandled San Diego State on the glass, made 3-pointers and showed the grit and grind that the opposing Aztecs have become known for, running away with a 94-54 victory at Michelob Ultra Arena on Monday, Nov. 24.

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Yaxel Lendeborg once again lived up to his preseason All-American billing, putting up 15 points as part of a balanced attack that featured six Wolverines scoring in double figures: Elliot Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr. each had 13, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Nimari Burnett each scored 11 and Will Tschetter added 10.

Aday Mara, meanwhile, had seven points, a team-high eight rebounds and three blocks.

Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) and San Diego State Aztecs forward Miles Heide (40) fight for a ball during the first half in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.

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SDSU jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but it was all Wolverines from there as coach Dusty May’s group surged with a 32-10 run to build a 17-point lead with 7:22 left in the first half. The Aztecs later cut the score to nine with back-to-back 3-pointers in 30 seconds, but Burnett answered with a 3 of his own.

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Michigan opened up the second half with an 8-0 run, and it was basically over from there: A huge spurt from Gayle pushed the lead beyond 25, a flurry from Cadeau made it 30 and a spinning Lendeborg layup inflated it to 35. The backups checked in and it didn’t stop – a Trey McKenney 3 gave the Wolverines a 42-point lead before the Aztecs narrowed it to a mere 30 in the end.

Beyond the scoreboard, Michigan dominated statistically, topping SDSU in rebounds (49-23), second-chance points (22-3) and points in the paint (38-12). The Wolverines (5-0) now have a quick turnaround with a matchup against No. 25 Auburn – the…

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Publish date : 2025-11-25 05:52:00

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