Pickett, Penn State blister Michigan 83-61
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — Jalen Pickett scored 25 points with eight rebounds and eight assists, Andrew Funk surpassed 1,500 points and Penn State raced past Michigan 83-61 on Sunday.
Seth Lundy scored 22 points for the Nittany Lions (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten Conference), who matched last season's win total. Funk had 19 points and Michael Henn added 10.
Penn State, which lost the first meeting 79-69, was shooting 58% and led by 32 midway through the second half before finishing 4 of 13. The Nittany Lions were 13 of 30 from the 3-point line after having their worst outing of the season (4 of 26) in a loss at Rutgers on Tuesday. Lundy and Funk were both 4 of 9 on 3-pointers.
Jett Howard made 5 of 7 3-pointers and scored 21 points for the Wolverines (11-10, 5-5), who were coming off a five-point loss to No. 1 Purdue. Howard missed the game against the Boilermakers with an ankle injury and was questionable for Penn State. Leading scorer Hunter Dickinson, who averages 18.3 points and 8.9 rebounds, had six points and two boards.
Penn State had an 18-0 run starting with five-straight 3-pointers in the closing minutes of the first half for a 49-30 lead. Funk had the last two 3s and capped it with a three-point play 31 seconds before halftime. Michigan added a basket and trailed 49-32 in what was PSU's highest-scoring half of the season.
Pickett had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and Funk 14 on 5 of 7 as Penn State shot 9 of 17 from distance and 61% overall in the first half.
Howard was 7 of 8, 4 of 5 behind the arc for 18 Michigan points in the first half. He had 13 points when the PSU lead was 16-15 and his 3-pointer at the 4:31 mark had the Wolverines within 31-30 but they missed their next five shots.
Lundy opened the second half with a 3, Henn made a layup and the lead was never below 20 after that. Lundy had five points and Pickett four in a 9-0 spurt that made it 73-41 midway through the second half.
Michigan outscored Penn State 20-10 over the final 10 minutes.
The Nittany Lions go to No. 1 Purdue on Wednesday. Michigan plays at Northwestern on Thursday.