Junior forward Zak Irvin scored 20 points and Michigan never trailed en route to recording a 79-72 victory over Penn State on Saturday in a Big Ten game at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Sophomore guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman added 15 points and junior guard Derrick Walton Jr. had 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Wolverines (17-5, 7-2) won their fourth straight game. Michigan played without senior guard Caris LeVert (leg) for the eighth consecutive game.

Senior forward Brandon Taylor had 24 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Nittany Lions (11-11, 2-7), who lost their third consecutive contest. Sophomore guard Shep Garner scored 22 points and made five of Penn State's nine 3-point baskets.

The contest was played at Madison Square Garden as part of a day-night doubleheader with the school's hockey programs.

The Nittany Lions trailed by 17 just past the midway point of the second half before Garner scored five points during a 7-0 run to cut Michigan's lead to 60-50 with 7:43 to play. The Wolverines briefly restored order before Penn State went on a 9-0 surge and pulled within 64-59 on a 3-pointer by freshman forward Deividas Zemgulis with 4:48 remaining.

Michigan countered with an 8-2 burst, with Walton scoring the final four, as it opened up a 72-61 lead with 2:35 left. The Nittany Lions made one last push to get within six on a 3-pointer by sophomore forward Payton Banks with 38 seconds left before the Wolverines closed it out.

Penn State cut a 12-point halftime deficit to seven early in the second half before Michigan boosted its lead back to double digits on a 3-pointer by Walton for an 11-point lead with 13:52 left. A jumper by Irvin gave the Wolverines a 60-43 advantage with 9:46 to play.

Michigan led 13-5 after sophomore forward Duncan Robinson's 3-pointer with 14:50 left in the first half before the Nittany Lions rattled off the next eight points. The Wolverines opened up a 27-17 edge on Abdur-Rahkman's basket with 7:07 left and sailed into the break with a 38-26 lead.