PHILADELPHIA – The Penn State men's basketball team electrified a sold-out Palestra crowd Sunday afternoon as the Nittany Lions battled back from a 14-point deficit to defeat Michigan, 79-73, inside The Cathedral of College Basketball.
Michigan led by as much as 14 with 3:15 left to play in the first half. Penn State used a 19-5 second-half run to erase the Wolverine lead. Junior D'Marco Dunn sparked the streak with eight-straight points, and his triple with 11:36 to play gave Penn State its first lead of the game, a lead the Nittany Lions wouldn't relinquish.
Dunn finished with 13 points, two rebounds, and two steals while teammate Ace Baldwin Jr. paced the Nittany Lions with 25 points on eight-for-13 shooting. Baldwin Jr. added four assists, two rebounds, three assists, and a block to his impressive final line. Kanye Clary scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half, helping the Nittany Lions to their comeback win over the Wolverines.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Nittany Lions started cold, going 1-for-10 in the first five minutes, as Michigan got out to a 12-2 lead with 15:18 left on the first-half clock.
- A 14-9 Penn State run fueled by a pair of Zach Hicks 3-pointers helped the Nittany Lions trim the Wolverine lead to five at 21-16 with 9:00 to play in the opening frame, but Michigan responded with a 7-0 steak to go back ahead by double digits two minutes later.
- The Wolverine edge was at 14 at 36-22 with 3:15 left in the first half. The Penn State defense held Michigan without a field goal for the final 4:40, but the Wolverines still carried a 37-27 lead into halftime.
- Back-to-back Penn State buckets opened the second half and served as the front-end of a 9-2 Nittany Lion run. Puff Johnson nailed a corner triple before Kanye Clary made a fast-break layup off a Zach Hicks steal and the Palestra erupted as Penn State pulled back within three at 39-36 just over two minutes into the second term.
- The Nittany Lions were within one at 42-41 a minute and a half later and Michigan didn't hold more than a two-possession lead for the next few minutes as the clock wound down under 13 with the Wolverines up 49-46.
- A pair of Baldwin Jr. free throws were followed by the Dunn triple that put the Nittany Lions in front for the first time at the 11:36 mark. Dunn followed with another 3-pointer less than a minute later before following with a driving layup that capped his own personal 8-0 run and a 10-0 Penn State streak that put the Nittany Lions ahead 56-49 with 10:13 to play.
- Dunn's streak highlighted a 19-5 scoring run for the Nittany Lions as they extended their advantage to 11 points with 5:03 to play.
- Penn State controlled the pace-of-play for the rest of the game, never letting Michigan get in striking distance as it earned the 79-73 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Penn State improves to 3-1 all-time in Big Ten games played at The Palestra. The Nittany Lions earn their 25th all-time win at The Palestra.
- Penn State battled back from down 14 points to earn the victory against the Wolverines. It marks the second time this season that Penn State has erased a double-digit deficit, as the Nittany Lions also did so in their 83-80 win against Ohio State on Dec. 9.
- Penn State's stout defense held Michigan below its 82.3 point-per-game scoring average, yielding just 73 points to the Wolverines.
- The Nittany Lions came away with 11 steals in the contest marking the seventh time this season Penn State has recorded double-digit steals.
- Ace Baldwin Jr. set his Big Ten career high with 25 points in the game, his second 20-plus point scoring outing of the season. The senior also totaled four assists, two rebounds, one block and three steals in an outstanding all-around performance.
- Junior D'Marco Dunn scored 13 points in the game, 10 of which came in the second half, marking the sixth time he crossed the 10-point plateau this year. He scored eight-straight points in the Nittany Lions' 19-5 scoring run as Penn State took its first lead of the game over the Wolverines, an advantage it would not relinquish.
- Junior Nick Kern Jr. tied his season high with eight rebounds in the contest. Kern Jr. added four points, an assist, and a block to his final line.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Mike Rhoades, Ace Baldwin Jr. & D'Marco Dunn
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions return to the Bryce Jordan Center Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. to host Northwestern.
The 2023-24 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.