Lundy leads Penn State past No. 19 Michigan State 62-58

Associated PressFeb 15, 2022, 10:05 PM EST

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.- Seth Lundy hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:37 remaining and finished with 17 points as Penn State beat No. 19 Michigan State 62-58 on Tuesday night.

John Harrar had 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Jalen Pickett added 10 points for the Nittany Lions (10-12, 5-9 Big Ten), who beat a ranked team for the first time under first-year coach Micah Shrewsberry.

Julius Marble II scored 14 points and Max Christie had 10 for the Spartans (18-7, 9-5), who led for all but 4:42. Michigan State was up by 14 points with 13:20 to play.

Michigan State opened the second half with an 8-0 run, and just over four minutes later, had its biggest lead of the game at 43-29 on a jumper by Marble.

Sessoms helped to key Penn State’s comeback. He hit back-to-back shots and fueled a 15-2 run over the next 4:39.

The Nittany Lions cut the lead to one twice before a pull-up jumper by Lundy gave them their first lead of the half with 1:37 left.

The Spartans took control early with a balanced first-half approach.

Six shooters scored in the opening 9:17. Max Christie hit a mid-range jumper to give Michigan State a 16-9 lead midway through the half. Meanwhile, the Spartans held Penn State to just 8-for-29 shooting from the floor and got four blocks over the first 15 minutes.

Penn State adjusted its strategy as the first half wore on, opting for outside shots as the Spartans controlled the paint.

Pickett, who scored 10 points in the first half, made a pair of 3-pointers, including one off a fast break, to tie the game at 22-all with 1:59 left in the first. He added a pair of free throws before a Mady Sissoko’s bucket made it 24-all at halftime. BIG PICTURE

Michigan State: The Spartans continue to play stingy defense. They entered the game holding opponents to just 40.4% shooting, but couldn’t keep Penn State under wraps down the stretch.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions just ended a tough streak in which they played five of their last seven on the road. Tuesday’s game started another trip in which they’ll play three games in six days.

UP NEXT

Michigan State: Hosts No. 12 Illinois on Saturday. The Spartans lost to the Illini 56-55 on Jan. 25.

Penn State: Hosts Minnesota on Thursday.

Ohio State opens Big Ten play with 76-64 win over Penn State

Associated PressDec 6, 2021, 8:51 PM EST

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Kyle Young scored 16 points, E.J. Liddell added 14 points and Ohio State beat Penn State 76-64 on Sunday night in a Big Ten opener for both teams.

Ohio State made seven 3-pointers in the opening 10 minutes of the game. Six different Buckeyes made a 3 during the spree for a 27-19 lead, and Ohio State led 41-30 at halftime after going 7 of 16 from distance.

Ohio State led by double figures for the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Penn State got as close as six points until Justin Ahrens sank a 3-pointer from the corner for a 70-61 lead at 2:15.

Malachi Branham added 11 points for Ohio State (6-2). Young made all four of his 3-pointers and Ahrens went 3 of 8 from distance. Liddell picked up his fourth foul with 5:53 remaining and went 4 of 9 from the field.

Ohio State was coming off the program’s 10th win over a No. 1 ranked team with a 71-66 upset of Duke in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Ohio State hosts Towson and No. 23 Wisconsin next week.

Jalen Pickett led Penn State (4-4) with 23 points and Seth Lundy added 13. John Harrar, who leads the Big Ten and is in the Top 15 nationally at 10.9 rebounds per game, grabbed 11 of his 12 rebounds in the second half. Harrar also scored 12 points.

The Nittany Lions play Wagner and No. 22 Michigan State next week.

Siena’s Jalen Pickett says he’s transferring to Penn State

Associated PressApr 27, 2021, 12:55 AM EDT

Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – Siena’s Jalen Pickett, a former Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the year, is transferring to Penn State.

Pickett announced his decision Sunday on Twitter. He will have two years of eligibility remaining, making him a nice addition for new Nittany Lions coach Micah Shrewsberry.

Overlooked coming out of high school in Rochester, New York – he had less than a handful of Division I offers despite performing at a high level in AAU ball – Pickett was the first player coach Jamion Christian signed when he was hired by Siena before the 2018-19 season.

Pickett averaged 15.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.0 steals as a freshman. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound point guard ranked ninth nationally in assists per game and among Division I freshmen was third in assists and fourth in both assist-to-turnover ratio and steals. He was named MAAC rookie of the year after being named rookie of the week a record 11 times during the season and became the first freshman in more than three decades to earn a first-team spot on the All-MAAC team.

Pickett also was a first-team selection in his two other seasons at Siena.

“I don’t have the flashiest game. Some coaches might not like the style I play,” Pickett told The Associated Press in a 2019 interview. “I’m not the most athletic guy, but I come out and play hard and I work every day. It’s always been like that for me. My family just taught me how to play the game the right way, taught me how to win.”

Pickett officially declared as an early entrant for the 2019 NBA draft, participated in the inaugural NBA G League Elite Camp in Chicago and had pre-draft workouts with several NBA teams. He returned to school that fall and averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists to earn MAAC Player of the Year honors in 2020.

Maryland wins Big Ten title with victory over Penn State

Associated PressMar 6, 2021, 7:41 PM EST

Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier via Imagn Content Services, LLC

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Chloe Bibby had 15 points and nine rebounds, and No. 8 Maryland clinched the Big Ten regular-season championship with an 88-61 victory over Penn State on Saturday.

The Terrapins have won the title in six of their seven years in the conference. Maryland was outright champions in 2015, 2016 and 2019, with shared titles in 2017 and 2020. Ohio State won the title in 2018.

Diamond Miller had 14 points for the Terrapins (21-2, 17-1), who earned their 10th straight win. Ashley Owusu and Mimi Collins each scored 12 points.

Maryland was stout defensively and scored 28 points off 23 turnovers.

Niya Beverley scored 15 points for the Nittany Lions, who have lost seven of their past eight games. Makenna Marisa added 10 points and six assists.

Penn State (9-14, 6-13) weathered several Maryland runs and trailed 44-32 at the break.

Maryland responded by increasing the pressure and began to pull away early in the second half. A layup by Owusu capped a 21-2 run and boosted the margin to 65-36 with 3:48 left in the third quarter.

The Nittany Lions struggled with Maryland’s zone and the Terrapins were dominant in transition.

A pair of layups by Angel Reese and Alaysia Styles gave Maryland a 77-44 lead with 7:11 left in the game.

Freshman Angel Reese had 11 points for Maryland, which also beat Penn State 96-82 on Dec. 31.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Terrapins finished the regular season 10-0 in College Park.

DOMINANT OFFENSE

Maryland has the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation with 91.5 points per game. It is on pace to break the program record of 89.7 points per game set in 1977-78 (including the postseason).

BIG PICTURE

Penn State: The Nittany Lions are the youngest team in the Big Ten with eight freshmen and they gained valuable experience over the past season. If the young players continue to develop, Penn State could be a force in the conference.

Maryland: The Terrapins have a shot at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Maryland has wins over teams currently ranked No. 10, No. 12, No. 13 and No. 24 in the AP poll.

UP NEXT

Penn State: The Nittany Lions will play in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 10.

Maryland: The Terrapins are the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.

No. 25 Rutgers women rally to overcome Penn State 60-55

Associated PressFeb 28, 2021, 5:51 PM EST

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tyia Singleton and Tekia Mack led a fourth-quarter rally as No. 25 Rutgers overcame Penn State for a 60-55 win on Sunday, the Scarlet Knights’ seventh straight win.

Singleton had a pair of baskets and Mack two 3-pointers in a 10-0 run that gave Rutgers (12-3, 8-3 Big Ten) a 52-45 lead with four minutes remaining. The Lady Lions (9-12, 6-11) got within three on Shay Hagans’ 3-pointer with 19 seconds to go but then had to foul twice to get Arella Guirantes to the line with 5.4 left. Guirantes made the first free throw and missed the second but Singleton got the offensive rebound.

Mael Gilles scored 16 points, Auirantes 14 and Mack 12 with Singleton grabbing 10 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights, who entered The Associated Press Top 25 rankings on Monday for the first time since February 2019. Their seven-game win streak came after a five-week COVID-19 pause. The win was also the fifth straight over Penn State.

After Rutgers held the Lady Lions to their lowest first-half point total this season and led 27-17 at the break, Penn State closed the gap to one by outscoring the Scarlet Knights 24-15 in the third quarter with Makenna Marisa, Shay Hagans and Johnasia Cash combining for 22 points. Penn State opened the final period with four points to take the lead a final time before Singleton and Mack went on their run.

Hagans led Penn State with 15 points, Marisa had 12 and Cash 11 points with 11 rebounds for her 10th double-double this season before leaving the game with a turned ankle in the fourth quarter. Niya Beverley, who had scored in double figures in each of the Lady Lions’ previous five games, was held to a single point. Penn State turned the ball over 17 times leading to 13 Rutgers points.

Rutgers has now held six conference opponents in a row under 60 points for the first time since 2007-08.

The teams play again at Rutgers on Tuesday.

Stefanovic scores 16, Purdue beats Penn State 73-52

Associated PressFeb 27, 2021, 1:05 AM EST

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Sasha Stefanovic scored 16 points, Jaden Ivey added 14 points, and Purdue cruised to a 73-52 win over Penn State on Friday night.

The freshman Ivey had a season-high four blocks for the Boilermakers (16-8, 11-6 Big Ten), who won their ninth of the last 12 and tied No. 9 Iowa for fourth place in the Big Ten standings.

Purdue pulled away to a 41-26 lead at halftime with four runs of at least seven straight points and went on a 15-2 run in the second half to push the lead into double digits for good.

It was the Boilermakers’ largest margin of victory at Penn State since a 64-42 win on Jan. 23, 2008. Trevion Williams had 11 points and Eric Hunter Jr. 10 as the Boilermakers made 27 of 52 shots from the field.

Myreon Jones had 11 points and Jamari Wheeler had nine points, six rebounds and six assists for the Nittany Lions (8-13, 5-12).

Penn State opened the second half on an 8-2 run to get the deficit within nine and made its first five shot attempts of the half but missed the next eight.

Purdue finishes its season hosting No. 23 Wisconsin on Tuesday and Indiana on Saturday. Penn State hosts Minnesota on Wednesday and visits Maryland on Sunday.