Michigan
Penn State
Michigan Falls to Sharpshooting Penn State in Road Matinee
1/29/2023 2:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Site: State College, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center
Score: Penn State 83, Michigan 61
Records: U-M (11-10, 5-5 B1G), PSU (14-7, 5-5 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Feb. 2 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.) 6 p.m. CST (TV: ESPN2)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Jett Howard returned from injury with 21 points behind five three-pointers, but the University of Michigan men's basketball team lost 83-61 to Penn State on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 29) at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Leaders and Best
Howard scored a team-high 21 points, while Kobe Bufkin added eight points and six rebounds. Jace Howard scored a career-high six points in the second half.
Turning Point
With a one-point lead in the first half, Penn State went on an 18-2 run behind five straight three-pointers to take a 17-point advantage into halftime, and Michigan was unable to overcome the three-point barrage the remainder of the game.
First Half
After falling behind 4-0 in the opening minutes, Jett Howard drained two three-pointers in under 45 seconds to give Michigan (11-10, 5-5 Big Ten) its first lead of the game. Penn State's Jalen Pickett responded with seven unanswered points, giving the Nittany Lions a five-point lead at the first media timeout.
Penn State (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten) grew its lead to as many as eight, but Howard went on a 7-0 run to bring the Wolverines within a point, 16-15, with 12:04 to go in the half. Howard scored 13 of U-M's first 15 points, shooting 5-for-5 from the field over the first eight minutes.
The Nittany Lions took an eight-point lead once again after making five of their next seven field goals, however Michigan answered with a 9-2 run -- thanks to five more points from Howard -- to get within striking distance again, trailing 31-30 with 4:30 remaining in the half.
Over the next three minutes, Penn State made five unanswered three-pointers, and Andrew Funk capped off the run with an and-one layup. The Nittany Lions scored 18 straight points behind six straight field goals, and although Bufkin beat the buzzer with a midrange jumper to end the Wolverines' scoring drought, the Maize and Blue trailed 49-32 at halftime.
Second Half
Penn State outscored Michigan 11-2 in the first three minutes of the half behind three more triples to stretch its lead to 26. After the Wolverines scored five unanswered points with just over 13 minutes to play, the Nittany Lions countered with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to expand their lead to 73-41.
Michigan outscored Penn State 20-10 over the final 9:45 behind a career-best six points from Jace Howard. The reserves made five of their last seven field goal attempts to shrink the deficit to 83-61 before the final buzzer.
What's Next
Michigan will conclude its two-game road swing against Northwestern on Thursday night (Feb. 2) at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. CST and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
Notes
• Jett Howard made a game-high five triples in a matchup that featured the Big Ten's top-three shooters from beyond the arc (Andrew Funk, 67 3PM; Jett Howard, 55; Seth Lundy, 49).
• Howard made his first seven shot attempts en route to an 18-point first half.
• Bufkin collected six rebounds, one shy of his career-high of seven (vs. Ohio, Nov. 20). He has grabbed six or more rebounds in four games this season.
• The Wolverines won the turnover battle, forcing nine Penn State turnovers while only committing eight. Penn State is the nation's top team in limiting turnovers, averaging only 8.7 per game. Michigan ranks fifth nationally with 9.8 turnovers per game.
