Michigan gets by Penn State in Big Ten tourney
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Trey Burke totaled a game-high 21 points as No. 6 Michigan pulled away in the second half to down Penn State, 83-66, in first- round action in the Big Ten Tournament from United Center.
Tim Hardaway and Nik Stauskas each added 15 points for the Wolverines (26-6), who advance to take on four seed Wisconsin on Friday. Jon Horford totaled 11 points, while Mitch McGary had 10 with a game-best 11 rebounds.
D.J. Newbill posted 20 points, six boards and three assists for the Nittany Lions (10-21), who received 15 points in defeat from Sasa Borovnjak.
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"I love this team and I'm really proud of these players and the way they competed to finish the season," said Penn State coach Patrick Chambers.
A Ross Travis dunk pulled PSU to 46-45 as five minutes elapsed in the second half, but Hardaway's jumper on the next possession created a three-point spread for Michigan and kicked off a monster 25-7 run which left the conference stalwarts up 71-52.
Horford totaled seven points during the clip, while Stauskas totaled five in a row and ended the run on a three-point play coming with 7:10 remaining.
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Michigan never led by fewer than 16 points for the remainder.
Penn State led 12-3 inside of five minutes played thanks to eight points from Borovnjak, but Michigan scored nine in a row to draw even at 14-14 on a McGary layup.
A Stauskas triple gave the Wolverines a 19-16 lead just after the midway point of the first half, then Burke capped the 15-6 surge on a trey to make it 29-22. Michigan went to the break ahead by only 35-33 thanks to a 13-4 surge by Penn State capped by a Newbill jumper.
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"Really proud of the way they showed great composure to come back and then win the game going away," said Michigan coach John Beilein.
Game Notes
Michigan avenged an 84-78 loss to Penn State in late February at State College ... The Wolverines shot just 6-of-18 from beyond the arc in the victory en route to 46 percent from the floor, while the Nits connected on 48 percent of their shots in defeat.