How Penn State men’s basketball, Lamar Stevens dominated the 2nd half to beat Indiana
Penn State basketball defeated Indiana 64-49 Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center for its third straight win, pushing its record to 15-5 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten, surpassing last season’s win total with 11 games remaining.
The two teams went back and forth in the first half with both struggling to score. They combined to shoot 21-of-61 in the game’s first 20 minutes, including 3-of-15 from beyond the arc. The poor shooting was caused by good defense in some instances, but was frequently due to poor shot selection and decision-making.
That led to a tie at 28 at the half with a win on the table for both teams entering the final 20 minutes.
The Nittany Lions took advantage of the fresh start in the second half and jumped out to a seven-point lead after an 11-4 run through the half’s first 5:26. The run was fueled by two made threes from sophomore guard Myles Dread and freshman forward Seth Lundy.
They never looked back on their way to the win over the Hoosiers.
The Nittany Lions were led by senior forward Lamar Stevens who moved to third on the program’s all-time scoring list in the second half. He scored 17 points in the game, giving him 1,994 for his career. The forward also picked up his 800th career rebound in the second half.
Senior guard Curtis Jones Jr. scored 12 points in the game for Penn State against his former team.
Penn State and Indiana will meet again later this season in Bloomington. That game tip off at noon on Feb. 23.
Player of the game
Lamar Stevens: Stevens was dominant in the second half of the Penn State win and helped the Nittany Lions build an insurmountable lead. He scored nine of his 17 points in the game’s final 20 minutes to lead the team. He settled for long 2-pointers in the second half, but set into a groove and attacked the rim at well in the second half. His change in play was a major factor in the Nittany Lions earning the victory. His career milestones in points and rebounds were the icing on the cake for Penn State’s star senior forward.
Turning point
Penn State opens the second half with an 11-4 run: Penn State came out in the second half of the game on a major run and never looked back. The Nittany Lions came out with an energy they didn’t have in the first half to start the game’s final 20 minutes and the Hoosiers couldn’t match it. They made two key 3-pointers after struggling to make anything from beyond the arc in the first half and that set the stage for them to take home their third victory in a row and get above .500 in the Big Ten.
Stat of the Game
Penn State scores 21 points off turnovers: The Nittany Lions wreaked havoc on defense throughout the game and made the Hoosiers pay for it on the opposite end of the floor. They consistently jumped passing lanes and forced Indiana into bad spots leading to 15 steals in the game. The Nittany Lions weren’t able to capitalize on all of those opportunities but capitalized on enough of them to make it difficult for the Hoosiers to come back. Starting guards Myreon Jones and Jamari Wheeler finished the game with eight combined steals and helped jump-start a Penn State offense that was stagnant in the second half.
Quotables
Penn State head coach Pat Chambers on where his team stands:
“I still think we can get a lot better. We haven’t clicked on all cylinders yet offensively and defensively, which really, you know, excites me as we move forward into February.”
Penn State senior guard Curtis Jones on what it was like playing his former team:
“I didn’t feel any different at all. (There were) some familiar faces, but other than that it was just another game.”
Up next
Nebraska: Penn State will head on the road for its next matchup. The Nittany Lions will take on one of the two worst teams in the Big Ten in Lincoln, Nebraska. They’ll take on the 7-14 Nebraska Cornhuskers at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Cornhuskers are the No. 132 team in the country according to KenPom’s rankings, and are 2-8 in the Big Ten.
The Hoosiers will head back on the road for a Saturday afternoon game with the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes are 13-7 with a 3-6 record in the Big Ten. They’re the No. 12 team in KenPom’s rankings.
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 12:09 AM.
