National Basketball Association
Michigan 79, Penn St. 56
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 2, 2016
Where: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Officials:
# Steve McJunkins, # Terry Oglesby, # Lamont Simpson
Attendance:
12707
By The Sports Xchange
Junior forward Mark Donnal scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds as Michigan rolled to an easy 79-56 victory over Penn State on Saturday in Big Ten play at Ann Arbor, Mich.
Junior wing Zak Irvin contributed 16 points and seven assists and made four of the Wolverines' 14 3-point baskets. Sophomore guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman had 14 points and sophomore forward Aubrey Dawkins added 13 on 5-of-5 shooting as Michigan (12-3, 2-0 Big Ten) won its sixth straight game.
Senior forward Brandon Taylor had 18 points and six rebounds for the Nittany Lions (9-6, 0-2). Penn State shot just 35.2 percent from the field and 4 of 18 from 3-point range.
Michigan controlled the game with its shooting -- making 65.5 percent of its first-half field-goal attempts and 59.2 overall. The Wolverines were 10 of 15 from 3-point range in the first half and finished 14 of 25 despite playing without senior guard Caris LeVert (lower leg injury).
Penn State scored the first seven points of the game before Michigan took over. The Wolverines took the lead for good on Irvin's 3-pointer with 12:24 left in the first half -- a shot that started an 8-0 burst and gave Michigan a 20-13 advantage.
Freshman forward Moritz Wagner capped a 10-0 surge with a layup to boost the edge to 30-15 with 8:27 remaining. The Wolverines used an 8-2 run to close the half as Donnal's layup with three seconds to play made it 49-28 at the break.
Michigan ripped off eight straight early in the second half with Donnal's basket making it a 29-point margin with 15:35 left.
Top Game Performances
Penn St. |
|
Michigan |
Brandon Taylor 18 |
Scoring |
Mark Donnal 16 |
Shep Garner 4 |
Assists |
Zak Irvin 7 |
Brandon Taylor 6 |
Rebounds |
Mark Donnal 8 |
Brandon Taylor 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman 2 |
Josh Reaves 2 |
Steals |
Derrick Walton Jr 2 |
Jordan Dickerson 2 |
Blocks |
Mark Donnal 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Penn St.
|
56 |
35.2 |
4-18 |
14-16 |
8 |
27 |
5 |
4 |
11 |
Michigan
|
79 |
59.2 |
14-25 |
7-11 |
18 |
26 |
2 |
5 |
13 |