Three takeaways from Penn State basketball's loss to Michigan

Despite a strong start, Penn State basketball’s offense once again floundered in a 58-57 defeat to Michigan at the Bryce Jordan Center.

It was the second consecutive defeat for the Nittany Lions, coming by a combined three points.

With the loss, Penn State falls to 9-11 and 4-8 in the Big Ten.

Let’s dive into three takeaways from the setback:

Another extending scoring drought dooms Penn State

If you thought Penn State couldn’t repeat the ugly offensive stretch that saw it score three points in about 12 minutes at Wisconsin, guess again.

The Nittany Lions endured a scoreless stretch of 10:06 between the conclusion of the first half and the beginning of the second.

When that stretch started, Penn State held an 11-point lead. When it ended, they were down four.

Micah Shrewsberry said he thought Michigan did a good job changing looks on defense as the game went on — sometimes within the same possession.

But, the players attributed the scoring difficulties to execution more than anything tactical.

“We gotta make the shots,” Sam Sessoms said.

“It was there. We’re so confident. We work on it every day…It was that type of night.”

Sessoms and fellow guard Jalen Pickett were the only Nittany Lions to reach double figures on the night. They combined for 27 points, but needed 33 field-goal attempts to get there. As a team, Penn State shot 40 percent, and 24 percent in the second half.

“We moved the ball great and we got whatever we wanted. At the end of the day we’ve just gotta stay focused, stay locked in and make shots,” Pickett said.

Late Michigan run undoes solid first-half work

Penn State’s first-half offense looked as good as anything the Nittany Lions have shown this season.

The ball movement looked pristine. Sessoms tore the Michigan defense apart with his dribble drives. The Nittany Lions made a few jump shots.

It all added up to a 57.7 percent conversion rate from the field and an 11-point lead with 3:56 left in the half.

Penn State didn’t score again after that.

Shrewsberry opted for some alternative lineups to close out the half, looking to get his tired regulars some rest.

Michigan used that opening to lock down on defense, and finish the half on an 11-0 run.

Ultimately, Penn State’s inability to sustain that momentum into halftime proved to be one of the game’s deciding factors.

“That was huge,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard said.

RELATED: Incoming Penn State transfer Hunter Nourzad recaps why Lions won out

Lions lose big man Greg Lee

Up against one of the best centers in the country in Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson, Penn State saw its forward unit depleted.

Greg Lee did not dress for the game, wearing a walking boot on his right foot.

Lee also missed Penn State’s first nine games of the season due to an injury.

Shrewsberry said it’s too early to tell how long he’ll be out.

“It just happened,” Shrewsberry said. “He’s gonna get it checked out and we’ll see what happens. We got a great medical staff, they’ll get him the best care possible that he needs and they’ll get him back when he’s ready. I don’t know when that’ll be.”

Jalanni White and Jevonnie Scott each played 10 minutes in Lee’s stead, combining for two points. Caleb Dorsey also got five minutes off the bench.

“I thought those guys did well and they’ll continue to get better the more that they play,” Shrewsberry said.

The Nittany Lions missed Lee’s scoring contributions. He averages just under eight points per game.

They also missed his size on the interior.

Penn State surrendered 14 offensive rebounds to the Wolverines, leading to 19 second-chance points.