Micah Shrewsberry, Jalen Pickett explain how Penn State shut down Michigan's Hunter Dickinson

The last time Michigan played Penn State, All-American center Hunter Dickinson went off for 17 points on an efficient 6-for-10 shooting.

The Nittany Lions knew they needed a better plan to stop Dickinson when they faced off Sunday. They found that plan an executed it to perfection.

Dickinson had his worst game of the season so far, finishing with a season-low six points and three rounds. He was only 3-for-9 from the field as well.

“We know Hunter gave us some problems down low last game,” Penn State guard Jalen Pickett said on BTN after the game. “We tried to make things tough for him and put some bigger bodies on him, trying to wear him down was really going to help us.”

The Nittany Lions finished the first half on an 18-2 run and won the game 83-61.

Head coach Micah Shrewsberry credited the team’s energy and focus, especially from his two frontcourt starters, as major keys to playing so well on defense.

“Caleb Dorsey brought energy,” Shrewsberry said. “Michael Henn brought energy. I though the other three guys flew around. I thought that we didn’t force a lot of turnovers but it felt like we did.”

Stopping Hunter Dickinson not the only highlight of Penn State’s victory

Penn State entered the game coming off a demoralizing loss to Rutgers in New Jersey during the week. The response from the Nittany Lions was impressive.

They held Hunter Dickinson in check, had four starters in double figurees and played the type of Penn State basketball Micah Shrewsberry loves to see.

“I’m proud of these guys,” Shrewsberry said. “I challenged them. I challenged them after Rutgers. That’s what families do. They get on each other. They talk about each other. They fight. They scrape. They do whatever. But that’s my family and Im riding with those guys. Im allowed to talk about them but I’m not going to let anybody else talk about those guys.”