After one of its ugliest losses of the season, Penn State men’s basketball responded with one of its ugliest starts of the season.

The Nittany Lions didn’t score a single point for nearly four minutes against Michigan at The Palestra in Philadelphia. While the Wolverines took a 10-point lead in the opening five minutes, a lead that climbed as high as 14 points, Penn State’s was almost nowhere to be found on either end of the court.

Pair that performance with the team’s 31-point defeat at Michigan State just three days prior, and the Nittany Lions seemed doomed.

Somehow, that wasn’t the story. Penn State was blown out in East Lansing and trapped in Michigan due to plane issues on Friday. The Nittany Lions were set as underdogs in front of a home crowd against a Michigan team with a losing record. That same team had the win secured well before the final buzzer sounded as Nick Kern Jr. lept in the air for a crowd-pleaser windmill dunk.

“I’m really, really proud of them [with] what we went through the other day, the road trip,” Rhoades said postgame about his team. “They were frustrated, but they found a way to stay connected, and [I] just thought the second half was our best half of defense this year against a good offensive team.”

Boosted behind 25 points from Ace Baldwin Jr. and 10 points in the second half from D’Marco Dunn, the Nittany Lions avoided turning one defeat into a losing streak for the second time in the season. Since a five-game skid earlier in the year, Penn State’s lost just twice.

That’s not to say the Nittany Lions are destined for greatness. They’re 8-7 with a 2-2 record in conference play. They’re a middle-of-the-pack team in their own conference with room for improvement. Against Michigan, that improvement was showcased deep into the second half as the Nittany Lions took their first lead.

“Coach was saying make them uncomfortable because… they want to be comfortable,” Baldwin said. “I think it’s great. Don’t even let our foot off the gas. Control the clock until it hits zero.”

Rhoades repeatedly said the team isn’t shooting as well as he expected and is shooting at a 43% clip from the field and 30.3% from three-point range. The Nittany Lions are also rebounding poorly. Against Michigan State, the Spartans recorded 13 steals while Penn State turned the ball over 16 times.

Still, Penn State has the advantage of knowing its flaws. The Nittany Lions held the ball better against Michigan than Michigan State — by a margin of nine turnovers nonetheless. It’s still waiting for something to click on rebounds and shooting percentages, but those numbers may improve as the team continues to gel.

A group that started off as near strangers when the season began is now playing like a team. It isn’t always getting the results on the court it wants — that’s to be expected for a program starting from almost scratch — but Penn State seems like it’s starting to win and lose as a collective.

“[Rhoades] was just like, ‘How are you going to bounce back?'” Baldwin said. “And I think the last few practices, it was great. We came out ready to go.”