Traylor large as Blue rolls, 77-59

Isn't the biggest kid's team supposed to win?

While Michigan's first game - a loss to inferior Western Michigan - was not supposed to happen, the adage finally held true.

Robert Traylor and his Michigan teammates clogged the middle and the Cleveland State offense as they trounced the Vikings, 77-59, last night at Crisler Arena.

Traylor inspired Michigan's victory from the beginning of the game, making his presence felt in the paint.

His 10 rebounds in the first half - and 15 for the game - established him as a force on both boards.

SARA STILLMAN/Daily Michigan's Maceo Baston led the team with 17 points in the Wolverines' 77-59 victory over Cleveland State last night. He and center Robert Traylor filled the middle to limit Cleveland State's offensive production.

The presence of the 300-pound center in the paint discouraged the Vikings all night, forcing them to shoot from outside the 3-point circle on numerous occasions. They responded with 25 long-range shots, spearheaded by guard James Madison's 13 attempts.

"They're really talented," Cleveland State coach Rollie Massimino said. "I don't think they're going to get any more physical than Traylor."

Traylor's ability to redirect shots - he blocked four Cleveland State attempts - had gone untapped in the past, when he often watched the action from the bench.

But against the Vikings, Traylor stayed out of foul trouble in the crucial first half, while Michigan built a 35-21 lead. The Vikings were held to just 29 percent shooting in the face of Michigan's size.

Traylor's work on the defensive glass remains a source of pride for the center.

"Whatever my team needs, I'm going to do," Traylor said. "My thing and Maceo (Baston)'s thing is to get every rebound."

Offensive production was sparked by Jerod Ward, who scored four of Michigan's first eight points, and got the offense rolling for the Wolverines.

"Jerod Ward was very active early in the game," Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe said. "He perpetuated us into a good solid flow."

He finished with 14 points, second on the team to Baston, who totaled 17 for the victors.

A seven-minute spurt in the middle of the first half propelled the Wolverines from an 8-8 game into a 23-12 lead, yet that was not enough to halt apprehension midway through the first half.

Success early on in games is nothing new for Michigan in this young season, and second-half collapses - like in the opener against Western Michigan - remained fresh on Michigan's mind.

"The guys were so anxious to play well to show the world they were a better basketball team," than against Western, Ellerbe said.

And the second half bore that effort.

Michigan pushed the lead to 22 points during the second stanza and held the Vikings at bay, despite the defensive pressure employed by Massimino's squad.

But when it came to finishing against the press, the Wolverines were not always as effective as Ellerbe might have hoped.

"We broke the first wave of their pressure," he said. "But we didn't finish at the end."

An inability to finish plagued both guards for the second game in a row.

While against Western the backcourt duo managed just two field goals between them, against Cleveland State they weren't much better.

Bullock knocked down 5-of-15 shots and failed, for the second game in a row, to convert a 3-pointer, missing all six attempts.

Reid's performance was no better. The transfer remains hesitant to shoot the ball. He hoisted just eight attempts last night and converted two.

The guards' lack of production - especially with regard to Bullock - was dismissed by the coach as fatigue.

Ellerbe said the problem was with Bullock's legs. "Because we're shorthanded, it's tough to get him a blow. I think he's a little tired."

Once again, Michigan faced a superior individual effort, coming this time from Madison. The presidential namesake lived up to his advanced billing, compiling 26 points.

11-20-97