Michigan bounces back, tops Washington to kick off West Coast trip

James Hawkins, The Detroit News on Jan 15, 2026

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The Wolverines found something that’s as good as gold in the Pacific Northwest.

They found a Big Ten road win.

No. 4 Michigan bounced back from its first loss and kicked off its two-game swing out west with an 82-72 win over Washington on Wednesday at Alaska Airlines Arena.

Aday Mara scored a season-high 20 points on 10-for-11 shooting, Morez Johnson Jr. tallied his third double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Yaxel Lendeborg added 14 points for Michigan (15-1, 5-1 Big Ten).

Following a first half that didn’t have much offensive flow or consistency, the offense picked up on both sides in the second half. After Michigan’s nine-point halftime lead was trimmed to five, the Wolverines made six consecutive shots during an 8-for-9 shooting stretch.

Lendeborg canned a corner 3. Mara scored three straight baskets in the paint, including a spin move to shake free from a defender for a two-handed jam. Michigan took a 55-45 lead with 13:40 to play.

The Wolverines had a tough time shaking free from the Huskies. Washington traded baskets and points over a seven-minute stretch to remain within striking distance, cutting the deficit to six on numerous occasions.

Eventually, Washington blinked and Michigan answered with an 11-2 burst to put it out of reach. A blocked shot by Mara led to a transition layup by Roddy Gayle Jr. Another stop and long rebound led to another fast-break opportunity that Lendeborg cashed in to cap a string of seven unanswered points.

Mara put the finishing touches on the game-sealing run with an alley-oop dunk and an assist to Johnson for a fast-break layup that made it 80-65 with 3:00 to go.

Michigan will wrap up its two-game West Coast swing at Oregon on Saturday.

JJ Mandaquit scored 15, Quimari Peterson 13, Zoom Diallo 12 and Hannes Steinbach had 11 points and 14 rebounds for Washington (10-7, 2-4), which shot 37.5% from the field.

Knocking down shots was a challenge out the gate. Michigan missed seven of first eight shots. Washington got off to a 1-for-10 start. Both teams were cold from 3-point range and went a combined 7-for-25 in the first half.

Yet, the Wolverines were the first ones to get something going. They found success in transition and inside. Gayle scored a fast-break layup. Johnson turned a steal into a transition layup. Mara scored twice at the rim. A 12-0 burst and a six-minute scoreless drought by Washington gave Michigan a 12-3 lead with 13:13 left in the half.

The Huskies and Wolverines combined to miss their first 18 shots from beyond the arc. Trey McKenney ended the drought and a 0-for-10 start by Michigan by draining a second-chance 3-pointer. Will Tschetter followed with another deep ball a minute later, as Michigan pulled ahead 22-11.

Washington didn’t break the long-range seal until the 6:13 mark after missing its first 12 3-point attempts. Not long after that, Johnson scored six straight for Michigan, including a putback dunk, to widen the margin to 30-18.

While it was far from a work of art on offense, Michigan defended at a high level, took care of the ball and imposed its will on the interior to take a 39-30 lead into halftime.