Michigan
22-3, 11-3
Penn State
9-15, 2-11
Wolverines Drop Road Contest at Penn State
2/12/2019 11:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Charles Matthews paced the Wolverines with 24 points. Jordan Poole chipped in scoring 17.
» Jon Teske blocked two shots two blocks, marking the 16th time this season he has had two blocks or more.
» Michigan moves to 22-3 overall on the season and 11-3 in Big Ten play.
Site: State College, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
Score: Penn State 75, #6 Michigan 69
Records: U-M (22-2, 10-2 Big Ten), PSU (8-15, 1-11 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 16 -- vs. Maryland (Crisler Center), noon (TV: FOX)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team dropped a Big Ten Conference road game against Penn State, 75-69, on Tuesday night (Feb. 12) at Bryce Jordan Center.
Senior Charles Matthews paced the Wolverines with 24 points, his fifth 20-point game of the season, while pulling down six rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Poole also scored in double digits with 17 points.
Sophomore Isaiah Livers came off the bench to lead the Wolverines in rebounding, grabbing seven, while Jon Teske pulled down five. Teske also had two blocks, marking the 16th time this season that he has had blocked two shots or more.
Penn State got out to an early lead before the teams started to exchange baskets to open the first half. Trailing by four, 20-16, midway through the half, the Wolverine defense stepped up to hold the Nittany Lions scoreless for five straight shots before Poole cut the Penn State lead to two with a jumper with 10:38 left in the half.
The Nittany Lions built its lead to seven, 27-20, before head coach John Beilein called a timeout with 5:33 left in the first half. But the break did not spark the Wolverines to close the gap as Penn State took a 31-22 advantage into the final media timeout of the half with 3:37 remaining until halftime.
Connecting on a last-second shot to end the first half, Penn State took a 40-27 lead into the locker room at the half. With two technical fouls assessed to Beilein, the Nittany Lions would hit three of four free throws to start the half before Zavier Simpson hit a trey in transition, 18 seconds into the half to nullify the free throws.
The Wolverines worked on cutting into the Penn State lead as the defense forced a jump ball in their favor, Simpson hit two free throws on the opposite end and Teske completed an and-one play with 12:34 left in the second half to cut Michigan's deficit to 52-45. The offense continued to find its stride as Matthews capped off a 12-2 scoring run heading into a timeout, while the defense forced four straight turnovers.
Matthews scored the next four Michigan points to bring Michigan within four, 55-51, with 8:18 remaining in the contest. But Penn State responded with five straight points extend its lead to nine, 60-51, with 6:22 left to play.
Simpson and Poole hit big three-pointers down the stretch, but being forced to foul, Penn State maintained the lead their lead the rest of the game.
Michigan will be back in action on Saturday (Feb. 16) when the Wolverines welcome Maryland to Crisler Center. Opening tip is scheduled for noon, and the game will be broadcast on FOX.
