ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Freshman Quinn Costello had a career-high 16 points and seven teammates also scored in double figures, helping No. 20 Michigan beat William & Mary 123-79 on Sunday.
The Wolverines (3-1) tied the fourth-highest scoring game in school history, reaching the highest point total since 1990 against Iowa.
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The Tribe (2-2) were competitive in the first half, trailing by just five at halftime. Then it fell apart as they allowed the defending national champions to score 75 points in the second half.
Roddy Gayle set the tone early for his high-scoring squad.
He had a go-ahead, three-point play and a pair of 3-pointers in a 1:33 span early in the game, giving him nine of his 13 points, and Michigan didn’t trail again. Gayle was among the many players across the country who won court orders against the NCAA’s new eligibility rules to play for a fifth season.
Moustapha Thiam scored 16, J.P. Estrella had 15 points and Trey McKenney scored 14 for the Wolverines. Taking advantage of playing time in the rout, reserves Kenny Nolan and Oscar Goodman added 11 points apiece.
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William & Mary, meanwhile, simply could not keep up the pace offensively and struggled at the other end of the court all afternoon.
Stas Sivka scored 13 points and Brian Carter had 10 points for a team that made just 38.8% of its shots.
The Wolverines have gotten off to a solid start this season despite losing coach Dusty May and three players to the NBA.
Estrella and Thiam have made an instant impact as transfers and Costello, a 6-foot-10 forward, is making a smooth transition from high school to college basketball under coach Mike Boynton.
William & Mary: Hosts Bowling Green on Tuesday night.
Michigan: Plays at Villanova on Saturday night.
