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Penn State scorches Michigan, 83-61, at THON game: BWI Photos

nate-mug-10.12.14by:Nate Bauer•01/30/23•

NateBauerBWI

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Penn State basketball picked up a much-needed, 83-61 win over Michigan on Sunday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center. (Daniel Althouse/BWI)

Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry begged for fans, and energy, ahead of his Nittany Lions’ return to the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday. Coming off a lopsided loss at Rutgers, the point was particularly salient in a scrum with Michigan.

In front of a crowd reported at 12,047 Penn State fans, Shrewsberry got that wish and, with it, a crucial 83-61 win. Capitalizing on a late first-half run by coming out and maintaining it, then building upon it, to start the second half, the Nittany Lions returned to .500 in Big Ten play with six weeks of conference basketball remaining.

“I was proud of how we came out to start the second half, it kind of kept the crowd in it, which was great. We had a great crowd tonight, we had a great crowd last Saturday. That’s what I was talking about the other day, that environment helps you go on these big runs like this,” Shrewsberry said. “I thought we went on that run over two halves and it kept everybody in it. Our guys really fed off that. So I appreciate everybody that showed up. I appreciate the people that have been here when nobody else has been here, I really appreciate them.

“But, everybody that came, I appreciate you. We need you. We got a lot more games to come. Halfway through the league, we have four home games left and they’re all big, man. They’re all magnified. So we need everybody that can make it to help us, help us through and help us make a push towards March.”

Playing with a purpose

Beyond the impact of fans on the game, Shrewsberry was also pleased by the bounce-back performance of the Nittany Lion offense. Coming out of a dismal shooting night at Rutgers, scoring just 45 points, Penn State unleashed one of its more efficient offensive performances of the season.

“We played with more purpose offensively,” Shrewsberry said. “We talked about our defense and how we wanted to guard people with more energy, but we talked about our purpose offensively. What are we looking for on every possession, and I thought we did that, and I thought it got those guys better shots, better looks.”

Now set to take on No. 1-ranked Purdue on Wednesday (6:30 p.m., BTN), the Nittany Lions will again aim to string wins together. And, they’ll do so by relying on the formula that has helped deliver 14 wins this season.

“We gotta keep playing that way. There’s no secret. But you also have to do it every single time. Just because we did it tonight against Michigan doesn’t mean we’re gonna do it again against Purdue,” Shrewsberry said. “We got to play the same way. We got to play with the same purpose.”

Before moving on to the Boilermakers, here’s a look at Sunday’s action from BWI photographer Daniel Althouse.

BWI Photos: Penn State 83 – Michigan 61

Jalen Pickett led all scorers with 25 points on Sunday.
Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry improved to 14-7 in his second season at the helm.
Seth Lundy’s 22 points were found at every level of the hardwood.
Lundy added seven rebounds to his stat line.
Mikey Henn notched his biggest impact of the season with 10 points and two rebounds.
Henn saw his first start of the season and played 24 minutes.
Penn State drew its biggest crowd of the 2022-23 season on Sunday.
Pickett added eight rebounds and eight assists to his scoring outburst.
Andrew Funk tallied 19 points on a 7-of-12 shooting performance that included four made 3-pointers.
Lundy nailed four 3-pointers among Penn State’s 13 for the game.
Pickett gave Michigan’s defense issues all afternoon, though 17 came in the game’s first 12 minutes.
Shrewsberry’s Nittany Lions will return to action Wednesday at Purdue.

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