Michigan ends 6-game skid

The Wolverines dealt Penn State its eighth loss in the last nine games, 68-63.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims scored 16 points each Saturday as Michigan beat Penn State 68-63.

The Wolverines (6-17, 2-9 Big Ten) broke a six-game losing streak and picked up their second win of 2008. Penn State (11-12, 3-8) has lost eight of nine, its lone win being a Feb. 2 upset of then-No. 8 Michigan State.

Anthony Wright added 13 for Michigan, including 10 in the first half.

Talor Battle led Penn State with 13, while Stanley Pringle and Mike Walker had 10 each.

No. 11 Michigan St. 70, Northwestern 55

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Drew Neitzel scored 13 of his 21 points in less than 4 minutes to help Michigan State rally.

After not attempting a shot for the first 12:35, Neitzel hit five straight attempts, including three 3-pointers, to help turn a four-point deficit into a 35-29 halftime lead.

Raymar Morgan and Drew Naymick each had 10 points, and Naymick had eight rebounds for the Spartans (20-3, 8-2 Big Ten), winners of 18 straight at Breslin Center.

Craig Moore, who had 28 points in the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 24, scored 21 for the Wildcats (7-14, 0-10). He finished 7-for-12 from the field and 5-for-9 beyond the arc.

Kevin Coble added 14 points and Michael Thompson 10 for Northwestern, which fell to 0-6 against ranked opponents.

Michigan State got zero points from its back-court in the first 10:33 but finished with 41 in reaching 20 wins for the 17th time, including nine of the last 11 years under Tom Izzo.

Minnesota 63, Iowa 50

MINNEAPOLIS — Freshman Al Nolen gave Minnesota a lift in the second half and finished with 11 points, eight assists and three steals to lead the Gophers.

Damien Johnson had nine points and seven rebounds and Spencer Tollackson scored 11 for Minnesota (15-7, 5-5 Big Ten), which has now won two in a row to bounce back from a skid of four losses in five games.

Justin Johnson scored 15 points and Tony Freeman had 12, five assists and five rebounds for the Hawkeyes (11-14, 4-8), who took a 42-41 lead after a three-point play by Cyrus Tate midway through the second half.

That’s when the super-quick Nolen took over, knifing into the passing lanes to create turnovers and scoring on drives to the basket and from the outside.