3 takeaways from Penn State basketball’s 76-64 win over Nebraska
Penn State stayed hot Saturday night in Lincoln on its way to a 76-64 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The win improves the Nittany Lions to 16-5 overall and 6-4 in the Big Ten.
Here are three takeaways from their blowout victory on the road.
1. Lamar Stevens reaches another milestone
Penn State has an all-time great on its roster in senior forward Lamar Stevens, and he’s proving that every night. He did it Saturday night by eclipsing 2,000 career points as a Nittany Lion.
Stevens scored 13 points in the game to give him 2,007 points in his four seasons with the Nittany Lions. He’s the school’s third all-time leading scorer and is 131 points from moving ahead of Jesse Arnelle for second on the list.
Stevens has been a great player and chose Penn State at a time when the program was struggling. He’s going to go down as one of the best players to ever attend the university and has an excellent chance to close out his college career with an NCAA Tournament appearance.
2. Myles Dread came up big from deep
Sophomore guard Myles Dread has struggled for most of the season from beyond the arc, but that appears to be changing. Dread went 2-of-5 from 3-point range Wednesday night against Indiana at the Bryce Jordan Center and kept it rolling Saturday night in Lincoln.
The sophomore made 4-of-10 attempts from deep and took shots with confidence throughout the game. His first attempt came from the top of the key and splashed home to get the night rolling and he didn’t stop from there.
Dread’s success from 3-point range is important to Penn State’s success and could raise the team’s ceiling. The Nittany Lions have been successful without Dread’s deep shooting. With it, they could take a substantial step forward.
3. The Nittany Lions pulled away in the second half
Penn State held a five-point lead at the half Saturday night and, for the second game in the row, used the opening moments of the second half to pull away from its opponent.
The Nittany Lions opened the half on a 20-6 run through the 12:48 mark to build a 60-39 lead. The Cornhuskers tried to make several runs after that point, but it was far too little, far too late.
The Penn State run was ignited by two key seniors. Stevens scored seven of the 20 points while senior center Mike Watkins scored six of them. The senior duo aren’t always playing their best at the same time, but the run to start the second half is an excellent glimpse of what the Nittany Lions are capable of when their best veterans on firing on all cylinders.
This story was originally published February 1, 2020 at 9:21 PM.
