Michigan beats Penn State, 79-69, in a game of runs

ANN ARBOR — Michigan and Penn State squared off in a key Big Ten battle Wednesday night, and both teams came out swinging in a 79-69 U-M win . PSU’s Seth Lundy was feeling it early, setting the tone with a couple contested triples, while the Wolverines spread the wealth offensively. 

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Freshman guard Dug McDaniel got off to a good start in making his first jumper to open the scoring. Frosh Jett Howard grabbed three early rebounds before the first TV timeout and was aggressive to the rim, finishing a three-point play that gave Michigan a 10-8 lead at 15:30. 

The Wolverines went up by as many as 8 on another McDaniel jumper and two Hunter Dickinson free throws, followed by a nice spin move and finish from frosh Tarris Reed. 

PSU heated up from behind the three-point line, and the Nittany Lions cut it to 22-16 at the second TV timeout. 

Grad Joey Baker tripled to push it back to 9. His second made it 28-18 at 9:05, keeping Michigan comfortably ahead. 

Jett Howard’s first three-pointer at 5:54 pushed it ack to 9 before PSU made another run to cut it to 4. That followed a Kobe Bufkin missed front end of a one-and-one, but he’d make up for it with a drive and finish, and one, at 4:35. 

Michigan had its biggest lead when Dickinson worked inside for 2 more to make it 40-29, and the Wolverines were up 42-31 and holding for one shot when Bufkin missed a jumper with 6 seconds left in the half. Evan Mahaffey then banked in a triple from just inside half court to cut it to 42-34 at the break. 

The Wolverines notched only 5 assists in the first half but didn’t turn the ball over once. They shot 48.4 percent from the floor and were led by Dickinson’s 10 points. Bufkin and Jett Howard added 8 each in the half. 

SECOND HALF — Michigan survives in a game of runs

McDaniel tripled from the top to open the scoring, but PSU heated up again, They went on a 7-0 run, and a Lundy triple at 17:13 forced a Michigan timeout and cut the lead to 47-43. It was 47-45 at the first TV timeout at 15:41, U-M having missed its last 4 shots. 

The Nittany Lions finally tied it after Jett Howard missed a jumper and guard Jalen Pickett scored in the lane at 15:00. 

Howard finally tripled at 14:40 to stop the bleeding. Bufkin pushed the lead back to 5 with a corner jumper. Dickinson blocked a dunk at the rim and Terrance Williams II triple to push the lead back to 8 and bring Crisler Arena alive. Jett Howard’s drive, and-one, pushed it to 58-47 at 12:55, and the place went nuts. 

The onslaught continued. Williams kept an offensive rebound alive and hit a jumper from the corner, and frosh Tarris Reed added a free throw. Pickett finally stopped the 14-0 run with a runner, but the Wolverines led 61-49 at 10:48.

Pickett’s triple made it 63-54 before Michigan responded again. Dickinson scored on a put-back and Baker notched his third triple — the Wolverines tied their biggest lead at 68-54 with 8:18 remaining, forcing a Penn State timeout. 

The Nittany Lions wouldn’t go quietly, responding with another run of their own. Camren Wynter scored 4 straight to cut it back to 10. It was 8 when Lundy scored inside at 6:40. 

PSU cut it to 3 when Dickinson missed a pair of free throws and Andrew Funk tripled from the top of the key. 

Michigan continued to struggle from the line. Pickett then cut it to 3 with a turnaround jumper in the lane over Dickinson before Bufkin responded with a tough, lefty runner.

Wynter inside cut it to 3 at 2:15 after Dickinson missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Funk’s 3 rimmed in and out after a Jett Howard airball on a jumper.

McDaniel then hit a huge runner in the lane at 1:10 to push it back to 74-69. Two free throws from Williams and a stop put the Wolverines in good position, and they finished it off from the line.

Dickinson scored 17 to lead the Wolverines (3-0 in Big Ten play), while Bufkin and Jett Howard added 14 each. McDaniel notched 12. Free throw shooting was the only sore spot, with Michigan making only 9 of 16.

U-M plays at Michigan State Saturday.