Comeback in the Cathedral: Penn State defeats Michigan

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Penn State defeated Michigan in a huge conference clash, winning 79-73 inside The Palestra in Philadelphia. The Nittany Lions trailed by as much as 14 in the first half but used a strong second-half performance to walk away with the win in front of a sell-out crowd.

Penn State was coming off a tough 31-point defeat to Michigan State in East Lansing but was able to bounce back hugely today, handling the pressure and coming back stronger, which is what senior guard Ace Baldwin Jr. was looking for.

“Last few practices it was great,” Baldwin Jr. said. “It came out like this and had us ready to go for today.”

The biggest strength in the comeback win was the defensive show the Nittany Lions put on against the Wolverines. Penn State forced 19 turnovers in the win, and were able to disrupt everything Michigan was trying to accomplish offensively in the second half.

Penn State has struggled at times during the season defensively, but head coach Mike Rhoades thought the blue and white put forth their best defensive performance of the season.

“This was a cumulative effect of our defense today,” Rhoades said. “We got turnovers and we pressed them and caused some problems.”

Rhoades also credited his backcourt of Kanye Clary and Ace Baldwin Jr. who were in charge of pressuring and disrupting the Michigan guards throughout the contest.

Along with the strong defensive performance, the Nittany Lions had a great night on the offensive side of the ball, scoring at will in the second half. Baldwin Jr. and Clary led the way for the blue and white with 25 and 18 points respectively, but it was a run by junior D’Marco Dunn in the second half that helped give the Nittany Lions a lead they would never relinquish.

Dunn went on a solo 8-0 run in the second half that saw the Nittany Lions take control over Michigan, and he finished with an efficient 13 points off the bench for the blue and white.

Dunn has had multiple strong performances for Penn State during the 2023-24 season, and he is stepping into his role as the third scorer for his squad this year.

“I think you can do this all the time,” Rhoades said, talking to Dunn. “We want to play with great freedom and I like to say with a neon green light and he’s really, really understanding that.”

Dunn’s huge three blew the roof off the place they call “The Cathedral of College Basketball” and brought the sell-out crowd to their feet and made them a huge factor in the win for the blue and white. The crowd's impact was felt by everyone in the arena, and the players were thankful for the support they received in Philadelphia.

“I love it here,” Baldwin Jr. said. “It was sold out. The atmosphere, it was packed in, crowd was with us, shoutout to the fans.”

Rhoades squad is back on the right side of .500 at 8-7 on the year, and 2-2 in conference play, with their next test coming against Northwestern in the Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 10.

Adam Sheetz is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ads360@psu.edu.