Penn State men’s basketball fell to No. 19 Michigan State 80-64 on Saturday afternoon in the Nittany Lions’ first road conference test of the year. Seth Lundy led the way with 18 points and seven assists while three other players finished with double-digit points.
John Harrar racked up 16 points and 11 rebounds while Jalen Pickett finished with 13 points and five assists. Sam Sessoms added 12 points off the bench.
How It Happened
Jalen Pickett got the scoring started with a mid-range jumper followed by a Harrar basket to put the visitors ahead 4-0 in the early moments of Saturday’s contest. The lead didn’t last for long though as the Spartans responded to some early turnovers with seven unanswered points.
Penn State hung around in the opening 10 minutes of regulation but turnovers, missed shots and Michigan State slowly easing into the flow of the game turned a once close contest into a 42-29 halftime margin for Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry and the Nittany Lions.
Harrar would look to get Penn State going in the second half but the Nittany Lions generally couldn’t get anything going offensively despite a late surge that nearly cut the game to a single-digit deficit. Big man Greg Lee made his season debut off the bench after missing the opening games of the season with a foot injury but had a limited impact on the game in his first appearance as a Nittany Lion.
Michigan State responded to Penn State’s late surge and the game’s final score came to pass shortly thereafter.
Takeaways
- In the first half, only four players scored. John Harrar led the way with nine, Seth Lundy and Jalen Pickett both had eight, and Sam Sessoms had four. To beat a ranked team like Michigan State, that is unacceptable. The offense has to be more consistent early in games to give the team a chance to compete. The balanced attack is the best way to move forward, so we’ll see if the Nittany Lions can find that.
- Greg Lee’s return is a good sign for the Nittany Lions. It will give them more depth at the forward position, and hopefully provide an offensive spark. It also gives Micah Shrewsberry more options to play with when putting together rotations, and that could help the team as they go into conference play.
- Seth Lundy has proven that he is the most consistent player on the team, and that is a great sign for his development and Penn State. If he can continue to be a dominant presence, he will be one of the best players in the conference.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions will travel to Richmond to take on VCU on Saturday, December 18. The rematch of last season’s matchup, which ended with a Myles Dread buzzer beater, will tip off at 3:30 p.m. and air on NBC Sports Network.
