STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Lamar Stevens scored 15 of his 26 points in the first half and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Penn State to an upset No. 6 Michigan 75-69 on Tuesday night.
Penn State pulled away in the first half as its star heated up and Michigan played the second without its coach.
Michigan coach John Beilein received back-to-back technical fouls and was ejected for arguing with officials as the teams entered the locker rooms after the first half.
The usually mild-mannered Beilein appeared to be upset after Penn State guard Jamari Wheeler barreled over Zavier Simpson to free up Rasir Bolton’s buzzer-beating layup. Beilein needed to be calmed down by assistants DeAndre Haynes and Saddi Washington as he approached the scorer’s table to argue, then again after he was assessed another violation as he was walking away.
Washington assumed head coaching duties in the second half.
Myles Dread chipped in 17 points, hitting five 3-pointers, for the Nittany Lions (9-15, 2-11 Big Ten). The win snapped Penn State’s eight-game skid against Michigan.
Charles Matthews scored 24 points and Jordan Poole added 17 for the Wolverines (22-3, 11-3) who never led after the first 2:24.
Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions built a 13-point halftime advantage and led by as many as 12 with 1:27 to play.
Michigan pulled within four on Jordan Poole’s 3-pointer with 18 seconds left, but Stevens went 2-for-4 from the free throw line to keep the game out of reach.
With the Nittany Lions up by four midway through the first half, Stevens scored 10 points during an 18-9 run that made it 40-27 at halftime.
The rangy forward came up big on the other end of the floor as well. He blocked Poole’s layup try then came up with a rebound on another Michigan miss seconds later to foil the Wolverines’ final first-half possession.
THE BIG PICTURE
Michigan: The Wolverines were out of sorts early and played their worst first half of the season. They also lost their hold on first place in the Big Ten as No. 11 Michigan State’s win forces a tie at the top with six games left.
Penn State: Stevens had his 10th career double-double and the Nittany Lions gave themselves a better chance to avoid a last-place Big Ten finish.
UP NEXT
Michigan: Hosts No. 24 Maryland on Saturday.
Penn State: Visits No. 12 Purdue on Saturday.
