Penn State men’s basketball (9-6, 0-4 Big Ten) lost to No. 2 Michigan (14-0, 4-0 Big Ten) in the Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday night.

Penn State took an early lead before falling behind for the rest of the night. Despite deficits by as much as 15 points, the Nittany Lions refused to go away and battled all the way back in the final minutes. Freddie Dilione V had a chance for a buzzer beater, but he overshot it just enough to keep Penn State’s Big Ten losing streak alive.

How It Happened

Mike Rhoades rolled with the lineup of Freddie Dilione V, Dominick Stewart, Eli Rice, Ivan Jurić, and Tibor Mirtič. Josh Reed came off the bench for the first time on the year. Dylan Mingo was out.

Michigan drew first blood with a layup before Jurić fought through contact in the paint to put Penn State on the board. Dilione made a quick drive to the cup to teeter the early lead in the Nittany Lions’ favor. Jurić continued Penn State’s hot start with a triple before Nimari Burnett slammed it down.

Jurić collected a defensive board and converted it into two points on the other end. He forced Michigan into a turnover to send Penn State up by four points into the first media timeout.

Jurić laid another one in to reach 10 points within the first five minutes. He popped another three, but didn’t connect. Reed snagged the board off of L.J. Cason’s missed layup, but turned the ball over himself on the other side. The Wolverines turned it over once more as Dilione led the ball back ip the floor. He chucked a three to no avail.

Mason Blackwood quickly picked up Michigan’s fifth turnover of the night before Dilione drew a foul on his way to the basket. He missed both.

Saša Ciani let loose from deep, but his miss turned into a Michigan dunk. Blackwood let one fly to the same result.

Michigan tied the game up at 12 before Cason capped off the Wolverines’ 9-0 scoring run with a make from deep. Aday Mara piled it on with two free throws. Dilione broke Penn State’s 0-10 field goal streak with a mid-range jumper to make it a 19-14 game.

Stewart cashed in from deep to pull within two points before Burnett matched him. Burnett zipped his way to the basket for two points as Mike Rhoades called timeout with eight minutes remaining in the first half.

Neither team scored for a minute and a half out of the timeout before Blackwood converted in the paint. Dilione banked one in high off the glass to bring the Nittany Lions within three points. Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau splashed in a three to keep solid pace ahead of Penn State.

Reed collected a tough rebound off of a Dilione miss and retreated behind the arc for three. Cason laid one in to put Michigan up 10 points with just over three minutes left in the first half. Dilione let it fly from three, but met nothing but the front iron.

Rice got two attempts from downtown as a result of another tough Reed board, and he took full advantage to get his first points of the night. Reed then notched two points from the charity stripe. Michigan led 40-31 going into the half.

Jurić opened the second half with his second three of the night, bringing his total to 13 points. Burnett responded with a trey of his own.

Dilione fed Ciani underneath for a quick and-one. Dilione almost fought his way through multiple Wolverine defenders for an acrobatic finish, but he settled for one point from the stripe instead.

Melih Tunca scored his first points of the night before missing from range. He quickly defended a Michigan shot and forced a miss. Dilione converted from mid-range as Penn State brought it within 10 once again.

Dilione made two free throws before Trey McKenney hit an underhand shot. Rice made his way to the cup for a stylish finish of his own. Roddy Gayle Jr. hit from three to round out the back-and-forth sequence.

McKenney knocked down a three to send Michigan up by 13 going into the under-12 media timeout.

Reed aggressively collected a board on clean-up duty from a Rice missed three. Jurić didn’t miss on his next attempt from downtown, making it an eight-point game in the final 10 minutes. He made two free throws on the subsequent possession to bring the Bryce Jordan Center crowd to life.

Tunca picked out Dilione at the top of the key to make it a three-point game. Mara floated one in before Jurić airballed from deep.

Tunca laid out a perfect pass to Reed, but he couldn’t convert the catch-and-shoot. Mara got the ball out of Reed’s hands with a wide-open Dilione available. Yaxel Lendeborg made both foul shots on a trip to the line to push Michigan back up seven points.

Dilione pulled up from range for another key chunk. Stewart let a quick one fly and hit the back iron. Dilione swung a tough pass to a wide-open Stewart on the wing, but he airballed. Cadeau converted from mid-range on the other end.

Tunca rattled an off-balance three in. Michigan turned it over right into Reed’s hands. Tunca missed a layup through contact, but the Nittany Lions recovered. Rice was fouled on his way to the cup and sunk both free throws to pull Penn State within one point. Michigan led 73-72 with 1:04 left.

Reed collected a Cadeau miss from three and led the ball back up the other end. Dilione missed a fadeaway jumper for the lead. Mara snagged the board and was fouled. He only made one of his charity shots.

Reed inbounded it to Dilione. He played keepaway until rushing an off-balance three, hitting the back iron as time expired.

Takeaways

• Despite losing control of the game in the first half, Ivan Jurić propelled Penn State to a shocking early lead. He scored 10 of the Nittany Lions’ first 12 points and was Mike Rhoades’ best shot at setting the tone for an upset. Jurić ended his day with a career-high 20 points and four rebounds.
• Penn State hung tough. It’s a learning year for one of the youngest squads in the Big Ten, and they’ve already hung around with some of the top teams in college basketball. These losses will prove valuable for the culture Mike Rhoades is building.
• Josh Reed played tough on the offensive and defensive glass, producing 10 of Penn State’s 43 rebounds. He gave the Nittany Lions second chances and looked like the Nittany Lions’ glue all night long.

What’s Next?

Penn State hits the road for a date with No. 5 Purdue at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 10, in the Mackey Arena. Folks can watch the game on the Big Ten Network.