Michigan junior Zach Novak smiles as he walks off the Breslin Center court after the Wolverines' 61-57 win over Michigan State Thursday night.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

EAST LANSING - Signatures and scribbles decorate the cinder-block wall outside the visitor’s locker room at the Breslin Center, an homage to the hundreds who have performed here.

Near the top corner, there’s Don Henley and The Kingsmen. In the center, the autographs of Johnny Cash and John Gilstrap, the five-time rodeo clown of the year.

Most prominent is the signature of Don Dokken, who advises readers of his inscription to “Keep Rokken.”

Zack Novak was oblivious to the backdrop as he propped himself against the gray wall outside the Michigan basketball team’s temporary quarters Thursday night.

But had he noticed, Michigan’s junior guard had certainly earned the right to add his name to one of the remaining empty bricks.

He delivered the defining performance of his college career on a night the reeling Wolverines, mired in a six-game losing streak, desperately needed it.

“He came out and willed it,” said teammate Stu Douglass.

“He plays big in big games,” said his dad, Dave Novak. “At least I think he does.”

No one would disagree with that Thursday. It wasn’t only the 19 points or the 6-for-8 shooting from 3-point range or the six rebounds or the way Novak chewed on the young players in the crucial minutes.

It was everything.

By the time it ended, Michigan had beaten Michigan State, 61-57, in East Lansing for the first time since 1997. Or, as Novak put it, for the first time since he was in first grade.

In the years in between, the Spartans had built the best basketball program in the state, heck, one of the best basketball programs in the country. Six Big Ten championship banners have been hung from the Breslin Center’s rafters since the last time the Wolverines won here.

One win doesn’t change that history, but it does mark a milestone. It changes the tenor of a season. It gives John Beilein a foothold in this intrastate rivalry. And it gave Novak a signature moment as this team’s undisputed leader.

“Novak was amazing,” teammate Jon Horford said. “The dude just loves winning so much, and he’s so competitive and goes so hard, he’s getting those loose balls, he’s on the ground, he’s taking charges, he’s hitting those threes. Novak does everything for us.”

When the Wolverines found themselves in their usual position - trailing in bunches from the start - Novak drilled a 3-point bucket, drew a foul, hit a free throw and trimmed a 6-0 deficit into a more reasonable 6-4 score.

When the Spartans built a five-point lead, he found a sweet spot in the right corner of the court and buried two quick 3-pointers, followed by a third from the top of the key in the span of 1 minute, 30 seconds midway through the first half.

He hit two more 3-pointers in the second half, helping the Wolverines build a 14-point lead and, perhaps more importantly, helping the team’s young players withstand a fierce Spartans charge.

“He’s been a leader probably since he was in the fourth grade,” Beilein said.

But something in this six-game losing streak changed Novak, hardened him. He had brought them so close to the top in an overtime defeat against then-No. 3 Kansas and a four-point loss against No. 2 Ohio State.

To see the bottom fall out - Michigan was flattened by Indiana and Northwestern before unraveling at home against Minnesota on Saturday - left the Wolverines’ driving force disheartened.

They held a players-only meeting following the collapse against the Gophers, one Novak described as a “come-to-Jesus” moment.

“We don’t talk a lot, so if he does call me, he’s really down,” his dad said. “He was just lost, wondering what he could be doing or should be doing. I usually kind of kick him in the ass, but this time I just told him to hang in there.”

After he talked to his dad Sunday, Novak settled in to watch the latest game in the Bears and Packers rivalry. So many of his friends from northwest Indiana are die-hard Chicago fans. Their well-being seemingly hung on the outcome.

“It dawned on me, that’s the position we’re in for our fans right now,” he said. “They’ve been hearing about it for too long, and we’ve got to get them this win.” Novak delivered.

He certainly had help, from Douglass, who hit a crucial three of his own in the waning seconds, from Darius Morris, who went 7 of 10 from the field, from defenders who battled the Spartans even on the boards.

But when Novak belatedly jogged down the hall, past the cinder-block wall bearing the names of those who performed here before him, and into the team’s locker room, the Wolverines erupted in applause, saving the night’s thunderous ovation for the one who delivered the sweetest win of the season.

Pete Bigelow covers Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2556, via email at petebigelow@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @PeterCBigelow.