Michigan
12-9,6-5Big Ten
Penn State
9-11,4-8Big Ten
Dickinson, Brooks Guide U-M Comeback Victory at Penn State
2/8/2022 11:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» After trailing by 11 in the first half, Michigan rallied to claim a 58-57 win at Penn State.
» Hunter Dickinson led U-M with his sixth double-double -- 19 points and tying a career-best with 15 rebounds.
» For the second time this season, Eli Brooks shot a career-best-tying 7-for-8 performance from the free-throw line and finishing with 16 points.
» Michigan had 12 assists on 17 baskets, led by DeVante' Jones' five.
Site: State College, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
Score: Michigan 58, Penn State 57
Records: U-M (12-9, 6-5 B1G), PSU (9-11, 4-8 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Feb. 10 -- vs. No. 3 Purdue (Crisler Center), 9 p.m. (TV: ESPN)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- After trailing by 11 midway through the first half, sophomore Hunter Dickinson and graduate student Eli Brooks' helped the University of Michigan men's basketball team tie the score at the half then rally in the second half for a 58-57 victory over Penn State on Tuesday night (Feb. 8) at the Bryce Jordan Center.
In a back-and-forth Big Ten battle, Penn State came out firing in the first half, shooting 58 percent from the field. Despite their strong shooting, the Nittany Lions surrendered an 11-point advantage, as the Wolverines tied the game as time expired in the first half. In a tale of two halves, baskets were hard to come by in the second half for both squads as U-M shot 20.8 percent and PSU shot 24.1 percent.
While U-M made just five field goals, it used a 14-for-16 second-half free-throw performance to help it hold the lead over the final 20 minutes for its sixth conference win. The Wolverines held the Nittany Lions to just seven field goals in the second half.
Dickinson's 19 points and a career-best-tying 15 rebounds helped him produce his team-leading sixth double-double and 13th of his career. He added a season-best-tying four blocks and two assists in 34 minutes of action.
Matching his career best with a 7-for-8 night at the free-throw line, Brooks posted his 14th double-figure game with 16 points, while adding five rebounds and two assists. After playing 37 minutes, he tied the U-M career record for games played (Zavier Simpson, 146). Fellow graduate student DeVante' Jones chipped in seven points, five rebounds and five assists -- his seventh 5+ assist game of the season.
Dickinson scored Michigan's first points on a three-pointer, and four quick points from Brooks paced U-M's start. However, Penn State (9-11; 4-8 Big Ten) controlled the early pace using an inside-out game with big man John Harrar had two quick baskets and Myles Dread knocked down a triple to give the Nittany Lions a 9-7 lead heading into the first media break.
Despite Brooks and Dickinson posting 16 of U-M's first 19 points, Penn State took advantage of the rest of the Wolverine scoring drought adding two second-chance buckets and two more triples to keep its advantage at 20-19 midway through the first half.
While Michigan (12-9; 6-5 Big Ten) was unable to connect on a field goal for well over five minutes, Penn State went 5-for-5 and went on a 13-3 run to build an eight-point lead. U-M finally snapped its drought with a pair of free throws and a soft hook from Dickinson, but Penn State continued to counter on the other end, building its lead to 11 points, 34-23.
After the final media time out of the first half, the Wolverines stormed back with another bucket from Dickinson and a pair of three-pointers from Caleb Houstan and Brandon Johns Jr., U-M trailed by just two, 34-32, and forced a PSU timeout. As a Nittany Lion turnover gave the ball back to U-M with six seconds left, Jones found a cutting Johns for the lay-in as time expired. The Maize and Blue headed into the locker room at halftime tied at 34 with the Nittany Lions.
U-M and Penn State combined for an 0-for-10 second-half start before U-M's Jones snapped the tie with a layup giving U-M its first lead, 36-34, since midway in the first half. Struggling to find baskets continued for both both squads, the Wolverines and Nittany Lions went 2-for-19, PSU hit a three-pointer to get the Nittany Lions on the board after going scoreless for 6:12 to start to the half.
Using four free throws and a layup from Terrance Williams II, U-M was able to carry a five-point advantage into the under-12-minute timeout, but a 5-2 Penn State spurt over the next four minutes shrunk U-M's lead to just two, 46-44, with seven-and-a-half minutes left in the regulation.
Four turnovers helped PSU tie the game at 48 before Dickinson added a pair of free throws on the other end to keep U-M ahead by two. A key offensive board by Moussa Diabate led to a Brooks layup to help the Wolverines get back to a four-point advantage.
Despite another late Wolverines turnover, Penn State could not convert on the other end as Dickinson grabbed his 15th rebound. Following a Dickinson miss with 39 seconds left, Penn State got two cracks at three-pointers, missing both, before a Dickinson foul gave the Nittany Lions two free throws. Seth Lundy converted on just one free throw, and U-M held a three-point lead, 52-49.
After crossing halfcourt, Houstan was fouled with 21 seconds on the clock and he made both free throws to put the Maize and Blue back up five. Quickly getting to the other end, Harrar made a baseline layup and followed by fouling Brooks, who drained both freebies to put U-M ahead 56-51.
With four seconds left, Williams got caught in the air and fouled Sam Sessoms on his three-point attempt. He made all three free throws to shrink U-M's lead back to two, 56-54. Fouling Brooks again on the inbounds, he once again drained both giving U-M a 58-54 advantage. Calling a timeout with four seconds left, Dread's bouncing three-pointer fell, but it was not enough as U-M prevailed.
After back-to-back road games, Michigan makes its way back to Crisler Center for a pair of home games over a three-day span. The Wolverines begin the stretch hosting No. 3 Purdue on Thursday (Feb. 10) in a rescheduled Jan. 11 game. Thursday's tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN. For fans attending the contest, please review Michigan's vaccination policy for indoor events.
