Michigan
6-9,1-3Big Ten
Penn State
8-7,2-2Big Ten
Williams II's Career High Not Enough as U-M Falls to Penn State
1/7/2024 4:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Despite a first half dominated by the Wolverines, the University of Michigan men's basketball team could not maintain its halftime advantage and Penn State defeated U-M 79-73 on Sunday (Jan. 7) at the Palestra.
Leaders and Best
Terrance Williams II scored a career-high 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. Olivier Nkamhoua added 13 points and nine rebounds, while Dug McDaniel scored 11 points Nimari Burnett chipped in with 10 points.
The Turning Point
Penn State state cashed in on a Michigan turnover, hitting a go-ahead three-pointer to take a 51-49 lead -- its first of the game -- at the 11:36 mark of the second half. The triple was part of a 10-0 run that built a seven-point lead, one that the Wolverines could not overcome.
Second Half
Michigan's first half lead quickly disappeared as Penn State (8-7, 2-2 Big Ten) started the second half by making its first seven field goals to pull within two of the Wolverines as U-M (6-9, 1-3 Big Ten) held a 45-43 lead at the 15:37 mark.
Four U-M turnovers along with a 13-2 Penn State run started at the 14:57 mark for Penn State included a Wolverines miscue that led to a three-pointer on the other end to give PSU a 51-49 lead with 11:36 remaining. At the midway point of the half, Michigan trailed 56-49.
After a 7-0 PSU run and a four-minute Michigan field-goal drought, McDaniel scored a layup to pull U-M within seven points (65-58) with 4:15 remaining. Michigan kept playing catchup with Penn State for the next few minutes and the Nittany Lions led by eight late. Late baskets from Williams and McDaniel got Michigan within four points multiple times in the final seconds, but they were not enough to bring the Wolverines back.
First Half
Penn State began the game shooting 1-for-10 from the field and the Wolverines took an early 9-2 lead at the 15:41 mark. Michigan opened the day shooting 1-for-4 and, initially, did not capitalize on PSU's shooting woes. U-M responded by making eight of its next nine attempts to build a 10-point advantage, 21-11, with 10:26 left.
The Nittany Lions pulled within five points at the nine-minute mark, but PSU missed its next four field goals and a Nkamhoua dunk gave Michigan a 23-16 advantage with 8:40 left. A baseline jumper from Williams along with a jump shot from Burnett extended the lead to 13 as U-M led 35-22 with 3:28 on the clock.
Michigan's shooting cooled toward the end of the half. The Wolverines went without a field goal for the final 4:40 and closed out the half shooting 1-for-7 from the field. Despite the cold streak, Michigan was ahead 37-27 at halftime.
What's Next
U-M will travel to College Park to face Maryland on Thursday (Jan. 11) at 7 p.m. inside Xfinity Center. The contest will be broadcast live on FS1.
