Quick Report: Michigan 79, Penn State 72

Marley Paul (@MarleyPaull22)
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Penn State and Michigan opened the inaugural Big Ten Super Saturday hoops-hockey double header at Madison Square Garden. The Wolverines blew the Nittany Lions out in the first meeting this season, and despite a much better showing on Saturday, Penn State (11-11, 2-7 Big Ten) couldn’t hang with Michigan (17-5, 7-2 Big Ten), which won its fourth consecutive game with a 75-67 victory.

At first…
After getting blown out in the first meeting, a slow start was a cause for concern for the Nittany Lions as they fell behind 7-0 with 16:35 to play in the half. Payton Banks opened the scoring for Penn State moments later on a 3 from a kick out from Brandon Taylor. Zak Irvin responded with a 3 of his own to stretch the lead back to seven. The Wolverines nailed another 3 to go ahead 13-7, but Penn State together a 6-0 run in less than a minute to tie the game with 12:24 to play.

Turning point…
A buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Irvin sent Michigan into the half up 38-26. That lead stretch to as many as 17 midway through the second half, until Shep Garner and Taylor answered the call. A jump shot from Taylor with 8:51 to play made it 60-45 and Garner added 3 and a layup to cut the deficit to 10. Exchanging buckets for a few minutes, two more long bombs from Garner plus Davis Zemgulis brought Penn State within five, with five minutes on the clock. That was as close as the Wolverines would allow them to get as two quick transition layups stretched the lead to 68-49 with 4:10 to play.

Shining star…
Garner made the most of his first collegiate game at the Mecca. Alongside Brandon Taylor, he carried the Nittany Lions in the second half, scoring 17 of his 22 points in the latter 20 minutes of the game. Garner connected from NBA range with regularity, finishing 5-of-12 from 3-point range while adding six rebounds and three assists to a hard-fought 38 minutes of play.

Noteworthy number…
15
The Nittany Lions got into a shootout with the Wolverines, which was ultimately in Michigan’s favor as Penn State missed 20 of its 29 3-point attempts. Meanwhile, they only managed to take 15 free throws, less than half of Michigan’s 31 attempts from the charity stripe. The Wolverines finished 6-of-20 from long range, but found points at the line that sustained the lead during tough shooting stretches.

Up next:
Penn State @ Iowa Wed. Feb. 3, 7 p.m.
Michigan vs. Indiana Tuesday, Feb. 2, 9 p.m.