DEARBORN, Mich. - Coming off the best season in program history, the University of Michigan-Dearborn men's basketball team started 2017-18 in the win column, topping the University of Waterloo in a non-conference matchup Thursday at the UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse.

The Wolverine defense held the Warriors to just 26.8 percent shooting for the night, while the UM-Dearborn offense got rolling in the second half to help the home team pull away for a 77-61 victory. The Wolverines are 1-0 to start the season under fourth-year head coach Taylor Langley.

Between the end of the first half and the start of the second, the Wolverines went on a 22-2 run to put the Warriors in a hole they could not recover from. In his first game as a Wolverine, junior transfer Mafiaion Joyner (JR/Battle Creek, MI) led UM-Dearborn with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while making three 3-pointers. He added 10 rebounds for the double-double while picking up three steals. 

NAIA All-American Honorable Mention Jason Penn (SR/Detroit, MI) started his senior year strong with a double-double. He finished with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting while adding a team-high 13 rebounds and five assists. Junior Xavier Crofford (JR/Detroit, MI) came off the bench to score 15 points and grab eight boards. 

Senior Ashton Curd (SR/Detroit, MI) finished with eight points and four rebounds, while freshman Jason Gigliotti (FR/Hartland, MI) was strong in his Wolverine debut with six points and six rebounds. The Wolverines shot 30-of-70 from the field, 6-of-21 from deep and 11-of-27 from the free-throw line. 

Waterloo was led by Jayden Grewal with 14 points, while Colin Connors added 12.

UM-Dearborn remains home to take on the University of Windsor at 7:30 pm Wednesday at the Fieldhouse.