Behind the sharp shooting of Zach Hicks, Penn State kept its season alive and beat Michigan 66-57 to advance in the Big Ten tournament.
Hicks ended the night with 20 points, going 7-for-14 from the field and 6-for-11 from 3-point land.
Qudus Wahab (13 points, seven rebounds) and Ace Baldwin (17 points, six assists) also contributed for PSU (16-16).
For Michigan (8-24), Terrance Williams II led the way with 15 points.
This is Penn State’s first Big Ten Tournament win in the Mike Rhoades era, with the coach’s first season at PSU still going on.
PSU made it to the Big Ten Championship Game last season, beating Illinois, Northwestern and Indiana before falling to Purdue. The team then beat Texas A&M for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2001 before falling to Texas in the second round.
PSU led 33-22 at the half behind 12 points from Zach Hicks. All of Hicks’ points came from beyond the arc, where he went 4-for-6 in the first half. Michigan had an early lead at 3-2, but Penn State was in control for the rest of the first 20 minutes. At the first media timeout of the second half, Penn State led 45-35, with Hicks adding another 3.
At the U12 media timeout, Penn State led by eight, with Michigan continuing to hang in. The game remained steady through the next media, with PSU leading 57-48.
At the final media timeout, Penn State led 63-51 and went onto close the deal.
PSU will now play No. 6 Indiana in the quarterfinal tomorrow night. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00.
