Michigan
9-5,3-0Big Ten
Penn State
11-4,2-2Big Ten
Balanced Scoring Attack, Timely D Lead U-M Over Penn State
1/4/2023 10:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Four players reached double figures as the University of Michigan men's basketball team outlasted Penn State, 79-69, Wednesday night (Jan. 4) at the Crisler Center. With 17 points, Hunter Dickinson led the Wolverines in scoring for the ninth time this season.
SUMMARY: Michigan (9-5, 3-0 B1G) saw its 11-point lead erased by Penn State (11-4, 2-2 B1G) early in the second period. Despite a 14-0 Wolverine run, the Nittany Lions pulled back within three in the final minutes. The Michigan defense did not allow Penn State to score after the 2:11 mark, and the Wolverines made five of six free throws down the stretch to earn the victory.
SECOND HALF: Dug McDaniel opened the scoring in the second half with a pull-up three, extending the Wolverine lead to 11. After a Dickinson score, Penn State responded with 11 unanswered points to tie the game at 47. Michigan came back strong with a 14-0 run of its own, highlighted by an athletic and-one layup from Jett Howard that electrified a sold-out Crisler Center.
After Penn State ended the run, Joey Baker's third three-pointer of the game forced a timeout from the Nittany Lions, and the Wolverines held a 68-54 lead with eight minutes to play. PSU scored 11 straight points out of the timeout, taking advantage of a four-minute-long Michigan scoring drought. A free throw from McDaniel ended the dry spell, but Penn State continued to put pressure on the Wolverines by scoring in the paint. With a three-point lead and just over a minute to play, McDaniel knocked down a floater to give the Maize and Blue a two-possession lead. The Michigan defense locked down the Nittany Lions late, holding PSU scoreless in the final two minutes.
FIRST HALF: Each team struggled to gain an advantage early, as the lead changed six times in the first five minutes of the half. The Wolverines finally gained control with a 9-0 run and jumped out to a 16-8 advantage. U-M switched to a zone defense and surrendered two three-pointers to the Nittany Lions, but Baker drained a triple of his own to keep the Maize and Blue in front, 25-16, with 10 minutes before the break. Penn State went on to outscore Michigan 9-3 over the next four minutes, allowing the Nittany Lions to pull within four. An and-one layup from Kobe Bufkin helped halt the Nittany Lion attack. Dickinson scored six straight U-M points and a jumper from Bufkin forced a Penn State timeout with 36 seconds remaining. On the defensive end, Michigan did not allow a Nittany Lion field goal for more than three and a half minutes until Penn State's Evan Mahaffey beat the buzzer with a half-court shot, and the Wolverines took a 42-34 lead into the locker room at halftime.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Wolverines will travel to East Lansing for an in-state rivalry matchup with Michigan State on Saturday (Jan. 7) at the Breslin Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on FOX.
Notes
• Four Wolverines reached double figures (Hunter Dickinson, 17; Jett Howard, 14; Kobe Bufkin, 14; Dug McDaniel, 12) for the fifth time this season. Michigan is 4-1 when four players score 10-plus.
• With four assists and no turnovers, Dug McDaniel has lifted his assist/turnover ratio to 2.3 (25-to-11) since entering the starting lineup on Dec. 8.
• With nine rebounds, Terrance Williams II has five or more rebounds in 12 of 14 games. The junior is averaging a career-best 6.9 boards per game.
• After going three-for-six from beyond the arc, Joey Baker is shooting a team-best 49 percent (17-of-35) on three-pointers. He is shooting 55 percent (12-of-22) from deep when he takes five or more threes in a game.
• Michigan and Penn State average the fewest turnovers per game in the Big Ten Conference and nation. Michigan won the turnover battle tonight, with eight to Penn State's three.
• The second half featured three runs of 10 unanswered points or more: an 11-0 Penn State run from 18:37 to 15:06, a 14-0 Michigan run from 14:44 to 11:20 and an 11-0 Penn State run from 7:56 to 4:28.
