4 months ago
- Wolverines
- Updated: Jan. 06, 2026, 9:24 p.m.
- Published: Jan. 06, 2026, 9:23 p.m.
The Wolverines, apparently, tin look mortal connected nan road. Their capacity Tuesday astatine Penn State, while acold from dominant, was still bully capable to enactment undefeated.
Michigan forced a missed 3 astatine nan buzzer to flight pinch a 74-72 triumph and amended to 14-0 wide and 4-0 successful nan Big Ten. It wasn’t easy.
The Wolverines struggled connected nan protect solid and made conscionable 8 of 27 3-point attempts.
Michigan, which led by arsenic galore arsenic 15 successful nan 2nd half, held a 73-65 advantage aft Roddy Gayle Jr.’s putback pinch 3:09 left. Penn State scored nan adjacent seven, hitting a 3, picking up a bargain and making a brace of free throws to get wrong 1 pinch 1:04 left.
Michigan’s Trey McKenney missed a heavy 3 but teammate Yaxel Lendeborg forced a held shot connected nan rebound to support possession pinch nan visitors. Elliot Cadeau air-balled a 3 disconnected nan baseline retired of bounds. At nan different end, Michigan forced a miss connected a step-back jumper and Aday Mara secured nan committee and was fouled pinch 15 seconds left. Mara, a 41% foul shooter entering nan game, divided nan pair.
Out of a timeout, Penn State — playing without starring scorer Kayden Mingo, who sewage injured successful a believe earlier nan crippled — put nan shot successful Freddie Dilione V’s hands. He ne'er gave it up, and yet tried a difficult 3 complete a beardown title from Nimari Burnett. It deed nan rim.
Penn State fell to 9-6 (0-4).
Michigan sophomore defender L.J. Cason scored 14, each successful nan first half, to lucifer his profession high. McKenney and Lendeborg each added 12 points.
Michigan allowed 15 violative rebounds connected Penn State’s 43 misses.
The Nittany Lions’ 12-0 tally trim their shortage to conscionable 3 pinch 7:13 left, their area defense giving Michigan immoderate trouble. Michigan ended nan tally successful emphatic fashion: Mara caught an alley-oop from Lendeborg for a reverse dunk.
Penn State had 1 much tally near to springiness Michigan nan eventual scare. The Wolverines entered nan crippled pinch nan highest scoring separator successful nan state astatine 30.2 points per game. Their 2 erstwhile existent roadworthy games were much competitive: They hit TCU by 4 and trailed Maryland by 9 successful nan 2nd half earlier winning by 18.
The Wolverines had a fewer uncharacteristic miscues early: They allowed a rustle by for a layup and threw a mates of passes retired of bounds, including 1 that deed nan caput of a streaking Wolverine who was not nan intended recipient. Michigan trailed 12-6.
Penn State went scoreless for nan adjacent 5 minutes, missing 10 consecutive shots, and Michigan grabbed a 17-12 lead. Burnett splashed a second-chance 3 and drove baseline for a bucket to make it 24-17 Michigan. Michigan led 40-31 astatine half.
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Andrew Kahn covers University of Michigan athletics for MLive. His superior thumps are Michigan football, men's hoops and women's basketball. He joined MLive successful 2017 aft antecedently freelancing for The Wall...
