Penn State scraps with Michigan, falls short in 79-69 decision
Penn State found itself climbing uphill early on Wednesday evening. Squaring off with Michigan at the Crisler Center, the Nittany Lions were down by double-digits before eight minutes had passed in the first half.
The deficit wouldn’t deter Penn State.
Erasing an 11-point margin to open the second half, then nearly doing it again, Penn State couldn’t quite muster a winning effort. Instead, the Nittany Lions dropped to 11-4 on the season, 2-2 against Big Ten competition, with a 79-69 final against the Wolverines.
Here’s a look at what happened in the loss:
How it happened
A pair of Seth Lundy 3-pointers put Penn State ahead in the opening minutes. The advantage wouldn’t last.
Unable to keep the Wolverines off the free throw line, that early lead transformed into a 20-10 deficit thanks to a 13-2 run spanning just three minutes. Steadied only by Lundy and Jalen Pickett, who combined to produce 15 of Penn State’s first 18 points, the two teams settled in, trading jabs through the rest of the first half.
But, with Michigan connecting on 8 of 9 free throws, with 15 of 31 made shots from the floor and a decided 16-10 advantage on points in the paint, the Nittany Lions wouldn’t relent. Offsetting what’d expanded to a 42-31 margin with less than a minute to play, true freshman forward Evan Mahaffey hit a half-court buzzer-beater to take a 42-34 score into the half.
Second half response
Unable to get a point out of sharp shooter Andrew Funk in the first half, the veteran scorer finally got on the scoreboard to open the scoring for Penn State in the second half. Following with another layup after a Jalen Pickett bucket, the Nittany Lions quickly evaporated the Wolverines’ lead.
By the 15:06 mark, four straight Pickett points and an 11-0 run made it a 47-47 game. Were it not for Michigan’s immediate response, ripping off a 14-0 run of its own, Penn State’s impressive comeback might have otherwise set up a competitive back-and-forth through the game’s finish.
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Instead, the Nittany Lions still found themselves trailing, 68-54, with 8:25 left to play. Led by Camren Wynter and Lundy, and capped by Funk’s first made 3-point basket of the evening, an 11-0 Penn State run in response again slashed Michigan’s lead.
Just as he’d opened the second half, hitting a 3-pointer right out of the gates, the point guard took over the game late. Exchanging empty looks after Wynter’s make in the lane at the 2:17 mark, McDaniel knocked home his 12th point with just a minute to play.
The effort set up a string of five-straight points for the Wolverines from the free throw line as the Nittany Lions failed to hit on any of their five final shots from the floor.
What’s next for Penn State
Penn State will return to action Sunday evening in Philadelphia when it plays host to No. 1 Purdue at the Palestra. Tip is set for 6 p.m. The game will air on the Big Ten Network.
