Yaxel Lendeborg as blunt as possible after Michigan builds minimal 1st half lead vs. UConn

The first half of the National Championship game was extremely slow for both sides as the Michigan Wolverines and UConn Huskies battled it out through the first 20 minutes.

As the two teams headed to their locker rooms at half, Michigan held a minimal 33-29 lead and, to be completely honest, the Wolverines looked a little sluggish in the most important game of their lives.

Michigan star and senior leader Yaxel Lendeborg, who was playing through both an ankle and knee injury, was brutally honest about his team's slow start and his own poor performance in the first half.

"I feel awful, I feel super weak right now, I can't hit anything," Lendeborg said at halftime. "Ya know, I'm trying to push through obviously because it's the championship game and all that, but I'm missing plays that I don't usually miss."

Yaxel Lendeborg has to produce for Michigan to secure Natty

In the first half, the Wolverines shot just 37 percent from the field, and the whole country seemed to be stunned by their three-point shooting, which sat at zero percent (yes, 0%) at halftime, the Wolverines going 0-of-8 from downtown.

While the team held a four-point lead, the first-half performance was not a sustainable way for Michigan to cement itself as the National Champion.

Of course, Lendeborg knew that much at halftime, saying that his team's level of play was going to have to be significantly better for them to beat UConn.

"[It'll take] everything. No matter what type of knee pain I'm in, I've gotta go out there and give it my best," Lendeborg said. "I played really soft in that first half, and I'm gonna be way better [in the] second half."

At halftime, Lendeborg had earned just four points, also collecting two personal fouls, while recording zero rebounds, zero assists, zero steals, and zero blocks. Two of his four points came from the free-throw line.