ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP)—DeShawn Sims scored 23 points to help Michigan beat Radford 82-55 in its season-opener.
The win marked a successful debut for coach John Beilein, who took over at Michigan (1-0) this season after compiling a 104-60 record in five seasons at West Virginia.
Martell McDuffy led Radford (0-1) with 13 points in what also was the debut of Highlanders coach Brad Greenberg.
Michigan jumped out to a 15-point halftime lead, thanks to 16 points from Sims and 10 from Zack Gibson. The Wolverines started the second half with a 12-4 run to put Radford away.
Michigan entered the game without their lone returning starter, point guard Jerret Smith. Beilein suspended Smith for the game on Friday for violating a team attendance policy. In his absence, true freshmen Manny Harris and Kelvin Grady started in the back court. Harris finished with 13 points, while Grady added 11 points.
