Despite a late charge, Penn State dropped its regular season finale against No. 16 Michigan 71-65 on Sunday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Wolverines (23-8, 13-5 Big Ten), playing for a share of the Big Ten title, led by as many as 19 points early in the second half. A 13-0 run by the Lions (12-19, 4-14 Big Ten) cut the lead to as little as four points late in the game. In the end, however, clutch shots by Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. were enough to hold Penn State off.
Burke finished the day with 19 points while Hardaway had 13. Evan Smotrycz and Zack Novak joined them in double figure scoring with 17 and 11 points, respectively. As a team, the Wolverines shot a gaudy 59.5 percent from the field, including 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) from three-point territory.
Jermaine Marshall was the big scorer for Penn State, racking up a game-high 27 points to go with eight rebounds. Ross Travis had 15 points and six rebounds while Tim Frazier put up an 11-point, five-assist and four-rebound line.
Both teams will now head to the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis to open their respective postseasons, the Lions likely on Thursday as an 11 or 12 seed, the Wolverines on Friday after a bye thanks to a top-four finish in the conference standings.
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