Penn State led Michigan 72-67 with just two minutes remaining. The Wolverines closed the game on a 9-0 run, defeating the Nittany Lions 76-72 in Ann Arbor. Penn State is now 1-4 on the road this season, and a 3-6 Big Ten record places them 16th in the conference, only ahead of Nebraska and Washington.

Despite losing the lead from a Tre Donaldson three for the Wolverines with 24 seconds remaining, Penn State still had a chance to win late. Ace Baldwin’s three missed, and Donaldson knocked down both Free Throws to reach 21 points on the day and extend the Wolverines’ lead to four with just 4.3 seconds remaining.

Nick Kern Jr led the way for the Nittany Lions, with a 16 point, 10 rebound double-double in 36 minutes of action. Ace Baldwin played all 40 minutes tonight, with 15 points, six assists, three steals, and five turnovers. D’Marco Dunn also put up an efficient 13 points on 4-5 shooting.

Turnovers were the difference maker tonight, with Michigan turning the ball over just eight times compared to 18 Penn State turnovers. The Wolverines finished with 19 points off turnovers, while the Nittany Lions only had nine.

Zach Hicks gives the Nittany Lions the lead in the final minutes with his first made three of the game.

After failing to pick up a crucial road win tonight, tournament hopes are slipping away fast for the Nittany Lions. Coach Rhoades’ squad is just 2-7 in quad one and quad two opportunities, with only one win over a projected tournament team (Purdue).

Penn State must take care of business in its upcoming home stretch, which features Ohio State on Thursday, January 30th, in Rec Hall and Minnesota on Tuesday, February 4th, in the Bryce Jordan Center. A road trip to California to take on UCLA and USC will follow. The Nittany Lions will likely need to go 3-1, if not 4-0, during this stretch to keep their postseason chances alive.