BUFFALO, N.Y. – In a season of firsts for the Michigan Wolverines, it seemed only fitting they added another one to the list.

They became the first team in March Madness to advance out of the first weekend.

Behind a huge run in each half, Michigan, the top seed in the Midwest Region, took down No. 9 seed Saint Louis on Saturday in a second-round game, 95-72, at KeyBank Center to secure a spot in the Sweet 16.

Yaxel Lendeborg led the way with 25 points for Michigan (33-3), which reached the Sweet 16 in its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and tied a program record for the most wins in a season. Aday Mara had 16 points, five assists and four blocked shots and Morez Johnson Jr. added 15 points and eight rebounds.

The Wolverines will play the winner of Sunday night’s game between No. 4 seed Alabama and No. 5 seed Texas Tech on Friday in Chicago with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.

Michigan led by as much as 12 in the first half and by nine at halftime before the teams went back and forth at the start of the second half. Michigan made six of its first 10 shots. Saint Louis made six of its first nine shots.

The difference is the Billikens, the No. 2 3-point shooting team in the country, hit four 3-pointers in the early going, including pair from center Robbie Avila over Mara that cut the deficit to 57-53 with 15:50 to play.

The Wolverines pushed back, pushed the margin back to double figures and took control. Lendeborg, after throwing down a highlight-reel jam where he blew by one Saint Louis defender and dunked on another at the rim, buried a 3-pointer from straightaway. A quick 7-0 run that Nimari Burnett ended with a steal off the press and a layup ignited a game-sealing 23-6 run.

Johnson scored six straight for Michigan, including an alley-oop slam off a pass from Mara. Burnett canned a 3-pointer. Not long after that, Lendeborg drained another deep ball. The Wolverines took a commanding 89-64 lead with 5:17 remaining. The lead never dipped below 20 the rest of the way.

Elliot Cadeau had 12 points and eight assists and Burnett finished with 11 points for Michigan, which shot 55.7% from the field, made 11 3-pointers and won the rebounding battle by a 42-27 margin.

Amari McCottry scored 14 and Dion Brown 13 for Saint Louis (29-6), which won the Atlantic 10 regular-season title. The Billikens shot 44.3% from the field and finished 10 for 32 from long range.

The Wolverines and Billikens both scored over 100 points and rolled to lopsided wins in the first round. Michigan toppled No. 16 Howard by 21 points and Saint Louis smashed No. 8 seed Georgia by 25 points.

The two teams scored at will and traded runs throughout the first half. Saint Louis made its first four shots, with Avila assisting on a 3-pointer on a drive and kick before knocking down a step-back 3-pointer over Mara.

Michigan countered by making eight of its first 10 shots – and missing four of its first six free throws – with Cadeau and Burnett each draining a deep ball. Cadeau capped string of nine straight points, a stretch that included a blocked layup from behind by Mara, by splitting two foul shots after drawing Avila’s second foul for a 16-10 lead with 15:16 left in the first half.

That all came during a 13-2 spurt that ended with a three-quarter court outlet pass from Lendeborg to Mara, who caught the ball and scored on a ridiculous backward lay-in to make it 20-12.

Saint Louis swung back with a run of its own. Brady Dunlap got loose and splashed two 3-pointers during a string of nine unanswered points. The Billikens ended a 15-3 burst with three-point plays on back-to-back possessions to grab a 27-23 advantage at the 10:22 mark.

The Wolverines answered with a 23-7 flurry over an eight-minute stretch to go in front by double digits. Cadeau scored on a driving layup, hit a deep ball and found Trey McKenney for a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer. Mara shed Avila with a fake pass and spin move in the post for an easy score. Lendeborg hit a 3 and threw down an alley-oop dunk

Not to be outdone, Michigan forced four turnovers during the run, including a blocked shot by Johnson that forced a shot-clock violation, as it pulled ahead, 46-34, with 1:50 left in the half.

Back-to-back turnovers on poor passes by Michigan allowed Saint Louis to cut it to single digits before Mara blocked a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Wolverines settled for a 48-39 lead at the break.

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