Penn State Unable to Contain Michigan, Suffer 79-56 Defeat
While most Penn Staters had their eyes on Jacksonville, FL as the football team took on the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2016 TaxSlayer bowl Saturday, Penn State men’s basketball headed to the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor to take on the University of Michigan for their second Big Ten Conference and fifth straight away game of the 2015-2016 season.
Michigan came into the matchup against the Nittany Lions without dominant senior guard Caris LeVert due to a lower left leg injury, which was thought to be an advantage for the Nittany Lions. Unfortunately, it was quite the opposite.
''Michigan was a buzzsaw today,'' Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers said. ''It was almost like LeVert was out and they wanted to show that they could do it.''
Although the Lions opened the game with an early 11-6 lead, the Wolverines went on a 24-4 run and after a triad of three-pointers by Michigan guards Zak Irvin and Duncan Robinson, the Wolverines entered halftime with a 49-28 lead. With such a rough start from Penn State, their second half efforts weren’t enough as Michigan finished the game with a 79-56 victory.
The Nittany Lions had a tough time on the court, shooting only 35% on the field and 22% behind the arch while the Wolverines were 59.2% and 56%, respectively.
Tabernacle, NJ forward Brandon Taylor was the bright spot for the Lions, leading the team in points (18) and rebounds (6) while also picking up his 1,000th point, becoming Penn State’s 32nd to do so in program history. Redshirt freshman Isaiah Washington also helped the offense with a career-high nine points while Josh Reaves and Shep Garner chipped in with six points each.
Penn State has a quick turnaround as they will head back to University Park to host the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Tuesday, January 5th at 7 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Big Ten clash will broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
Michigan came into the matchup against the Nittany Lions without dominant senior guard Caris LeVert due to a lower left leg injury, which was thought to be an advantage for the Nittany Lions. Unfortunately, it was quite the opposite.
''Michigan was a buzzsaw today,'' Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers said. ''It was almost like LeVert was out and they wanted to show that they could do it.''
Although the Lions opened the game with an early 11-6 lead, the Wolverines went on a 24-4 run and after a triad of three-pointers by Michigan guards Zak Irvin and Duncan Robinson, the Wolverines entered halftime with a 49-28 lead. With such a rough start from Penn State, their second half efforts weren’t enough as Michigan finished the game with a 79-56 victory.
The Nittany Lions had a tough time on the court, shooting only 35% on the field and 22% behind the arch while the Wolverines were 59.2% and 56%, respectively.
Tabernacle, NJ forward Brandon Taylor was the bright spot for the Lions, leading the team in points (18) and rebounds (6) while also picking up his 1,000th point, becoming Penn State’s 32nd to do so in program history. Redshirt freshman Isaiah Washington also helped the offense with a career-high nine points while Josh Reaves and Shep Garner chipped in with six points each.
Penn State has a quick turnaround as they will head back to University Park to host the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Tuesday, January 5th at 7 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Big Ten clash will broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
