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Morris leads Wolverines as Michigan sweeps PSU
Posted: 02.06.2011 at 3:21 PM
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Point guard's 23-point effort paces 65-62 victory
The University of Michigan men's basketball team trailed by as many as 10 in the second half, but freshman guard UNIVERSITY PARK, PA -- Tim Hardaway Jr. (Miami, Fla./Palmetto Senior) scored all of his 13 points in the last seven and a half minutes of the game and sparked a 10-0 run to secure the Wolverines' 65-62 win over Penn State Sunday afternoon (Feb. 6) inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
Michigan shot 49 percent (25-of-51) from the floor and 47 percent (9-of-19) from behind the arc for the game, led by sophomore guard Darius Morris' (Los Angeles, Calif./Windward) 23 points. Junior guard Stu Douglass (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) also contributed in double-digit scoring with 14 points, while redshirt freshman forward Jordan Morgan (Detroit, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit) had six points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Morgan opened up the game with an offensive rebound and putback for the Wolverines. However, Penn State responded, jumping out to an 18-8 lead at the 10:18 mark. A layup by Morris and a three-pointer by junior guard Zack Novak (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) on back-to-back possessions followed, bringing U-M back within five.
Penn State moved out to a 24-13 lead, but three straight triples -- two by Douglass and one from sophomore guard Matt Vogrich (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) -- cut the Nittany Lions' lead to two, 24-22, with 2:34 left to play in the half. Morris followed with an old-fashioned three-point play to give Michigan its first lead since the start of the game. The Wolverines held Penn State scoreless for the last 6:52 of the half and entered the locker room with a 27-24 halftime lead.
Out of the locker room, Penn State used four triples to build a 12-2 run and led by as many as 10 for the first 12 minutes of the second stanza. With 7:40 remaining, the Maize and Blue trailed, 48-39, before Hardaway stepped up and put on a one-man show.
After scoring five straight points, Hardaway drove in the lane on Michigan's next possession but passed the ball out to Douglass, who drained a three-pointer at the 6:29 mark. Back-to-back triples from Hardaway followed, tying the game at 53. Morris capped a 10-0 run for the Wolverines, scoring back-to-back baskets.
With 2:16 left to play, Hardaway found Morgan under the basket for an easy dunk. Following a steal by Novak on the other end, Hardaway pushed U-M ahead, 61-56, with a layup. Morris secured the game for the Maize and Blue by knocking down 4-of-4 free throws.
The Wolverines return to Ann Arbor on Wednesday (Feb. 9) to host Northwestern inside Crisler Arena. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.