Jan. 04, 2017
Final Stats | Notes | USATSI Gallery
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) D.J. Wilson slipped out in transition and waited for Derrick Walton to throw the pass.
''It was two on one. I was kind of behind the defense,'' Wilson said. ''I thought the ball was about to go in. It was so high and it was, like, around the cylinder. I just guided it in.''
Wilson's alley-oop dunk off a pass from Walton capped Michigan's rally from a 14-point deficit, and after taking the lead on that play with 3:28 remaining, the Wolverines held on for a 72-69 victory over Penn State on Wednesday night.
Walton scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half. The Wolverines (11-4, 1-1 Big Ten) trailed 54-40 with 12:41 remaining, but Walton and fellow senior Zak Irvin helped Michigan snap out of its funk, and there was enough time left to overtake the Nittany Lions (9-7, 1-2).
Walton and Irvin had a tough night until the final 8:59, when they scored 20 of Michigan's last 25 points.
''Our seniors, who were not on their A game, were certainly just nothing short of spectacular in those last five minutes,'' coach John Beilein said. ''They made the foul shots, they made the big plays, they threw the `oop' - they did a lot of great things.''
The Wolverines were down 55-42 before a 10-0 run cut into Penn State's lead. Michigan trailed 61-60 after a 3-pointer by Walton, and moments later, the senior point guard found Wilson for the alley-oop that put the Wolverines up by one.
Michigan led 68-66 in the final minute, but a turnover gave Penn State the ball with 24.2 seconds left. Tony Carr missed a 3-pointer, and Walton made two free throws at the other end to help the Wolverines hold on.
Lamar Stevens had 16 points and nine rebounds for Penn State, but he fouled out late in the second half.
''I've been coming to this gym for six years, and the game's been over by halftime,'' Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. ''So it's really encouraging to see where we are, where our talent is, and how we competed today.''
BIG PICTURE
Penn State: The Nittany Lions seemed to have more intensity than Michigan throughout the first half, and they eventually turned a 36-29 halftime lead into a double-digit advantage. Penn State's young team couldn't hold on, however.
Michigan: The Wolverines were in danger of falling to 0-2 in conference play, but they showed good resolve in the second half and ended up with a win they can try to build on.
MILESTONE
It was Beilein's 200th victory at Michigan. He's closing in on the school record of 209 held by Johnny Orr. Beilein is in his 10th season with the Wolverines and took them to the Final Four in 2013.
He said injuries and early departures to the NBA over the years have made it feel like he's constantly been in a building mode.
''It's flown by, because when you're doing that, you never get content,'' Beilein said. ''You're driven to make this thing work, even though there's been some obstacles.''
TOO SLOPPY
Penn State had 14 turnovers to Michigan's five. The Wolverines had a 20-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
''We started to beat ourselves, started turning the ball over,'' Stevens said. ''You can't do that against a good team like Michigan. We had control, but let it slip away.''
UP NEXT
Penn State: The Nittany Lions play their next game Saturday against Michigan State. It will count as a Penn State home game, but it will be played at the Palestra in Philadelphia.
Michigan: The Wolverines host Maryland on Saturday.