Penn State entered Ann Arbor, Michigan, having not won in the Crisler Center in five years. With two minutes and eight seconds left in Monday’s game, it looked like that drought would end as the Freddie Dilione V capped off a 15-3 run with his second 3 of the game to give the Nittany Lions a five-point edge.
Instead, Michigan’s Tre Donaldson (career-high 21 points) scored seven of the nine unanswered points for the Wolverines in the closing minutes, guiding his team to a 76-72 win. Penn State has only one road victory this season, and Monday’s loss kept PSU winless on the road in the Big Ten (0-5).
Monday’s game was Penn State’s seventh loss when it was either within four points or had the lead in the final two minutes:
- 1:58 left — PSU 64, Clemson 67
- 1:56 left — PSU 75, Rutgers 77
- 1:43 left — PSU 71, Indiana 73
- 1:29 left — PSU 78, Oregon 76
- 0:56 left — PSU 80, Michigan State 84
- 0:53 left — PSU 75, Iowa 76
- 2:08 left — PSU 72, Michigan 67
As Mike Rhoades’ squad continues to struggle to put away close contests, social media reacted promptly following the defeat:
Fell short in Ann Arbor.#WeAre pic.twitter.com/UJBSkm1tj1
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) January 28, 2025
The same thing over and over again … *sigh*
— Chives (@jarrett_daveler) January 28, 2025
Bye bye March, just terrible shot selection in the clutch
— JW (@JWSPSU) January 28, 2025
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Tre Donaldson just dragged Michigan to an improbable comeback against Penn State. A dramatic win for the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. A brutal defeat and missed opportunity for the Nittany Lions, who miss out on a massive road victory.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 28, 2025
I guess we’re taking our timeout into next game
— Cody Benjamin (@codybenjamin7) January 28, 2025
I really thought we were at least a tournament team man. That was sad.
— Collin Richardson (@CollinRich40) January 28, 2025
Death, taxes, Penn State basketball losing a close game.
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) January 28, 2025
The late game execution by this basketball team is just baffling. They have been in multiple opportunities to beat Quad 1 teams in the last minute and squander it every time with horrible shot selection and not calling timeouts in critical moments
Just astounding. Has to change
— Barstool Penn State (@PSUBarstool) January 28, 2025
Penn State Men’s basketball is beating themselves.
They should not be running the clock and forcing a bad shot. Run a play, if you miss, try to get a rebound. You should not be chucking up prayers when you had time on the clock.
— Zane Brancefield (@ZaneBrancefield) January 28, 2025
