No. 7 Michigan dominates No. 12 Gonzaga 101-61 in Players Era final

No. 7 Michigan blew out No. 12 Gonzaga in the Players Era Championship, handing Mark Few his worst loss in 902 games as the Zags' coach.

BY KIRK KERN

Nov 26, 2025, 9:27 PM Updated: 9:32 pm

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Michigan center Aday Mara scores against Gonzaga on Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg had 20 points and 11 rebounds as No. 7 Michigan routed No. 12 Gonzaga 101-61 on Wednesday night to win the Players Era Championship.

Michigan Wolverines 101, Gonzaga Bulldogs 61: Box score

Trey McKenney added 17 points for the impressive Wolverines (7-0), who dominated every one of their opponents in the event. They won their three games by an average of 36.7 points, beating San Diego State by 40 and No. 21 Auburn by 30 before handing Mark Few his worst loss in 902 games as Gonzaga’s coach.

ARE YOU KIDDING!? 😱 @umichbball pic.twitter.com/SNkj4zDHpR

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 27, 2025

The 18-team field featured some of the top programs in the country, and Michigan served notice it’s a serious national title contender.

Nimari Burnett had 14 points, Aday Mara scored 13 and Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 11 for the Wolverines. The defense limited Gonzaga to 33.8% shooting from the floor, including 3 of 22 from 3-point range (13.6%).

Tyon Grant-Foster and Braden Huff led the Bulldogs (7-1) with 14 points each. Huff fouled out with 8:42 left.

Michigan scored the last nine points of the first half and led 53-29 at the break. Lendeborg scored four straight points and Burnett hit a 3 with 38 seconds remaining.

The Wolverines maintained their 24-point advantage until the 15:55 mark of the second half and then went on a 10-0 run to go up 69-35. Johnson had six points during that stretch and Mara scored three.

Gonzaga never got closer than 31 after that.