Penn State men’s basketball upsets Michigan State on the road to extend win streak to 5
Penn State basketball took down Michigan State 75-70 Tuesday night on the road to extend its win streak to five. The Nittany Lions improved to 17-5 overall and 7-4 in the Big Ten with the upset victory.
The first half began with a 12-4 run for the Spartans in the first 3:59, but Penn State was not deterred. The Nittany Lions outscored their opponent 39-25 in the final 16:01 of the half to earn a 43-37 halftime lead. They were on fire from beyond the arc in the half, making 7-of-14 3-point attempts to account for 21 of their 43 points.
The halftime edge could’ve been two points larger had head coach Pat Chambers not been called for a technical foul, giving Michigan State senior guard Cassius Winston two free throw attempts, and makes, with 0.4 seconds on the clock.
The Nittany Lions held their lead until there was 12:50 left in the second half when Michigan State’s Aaron Henry hit a jumper to knot the score up at 53.
The game was back and forth from there until the final buzzer sounded.
Penn State senior forward Lamar Stevens made two free throws with 9.1 seconds left to give the Nittany Lions a 73-70 lead. The Spartans couldn’t tie the game up and Penn State left the Breslin Center with the victory for only the second time in program history.
The Nittany Lions were led by Stevens who scored 24 points in the game.
Penn State and Michigan State will meet again later this season in University Park. That game will tip off at 7 p.m. on March 3.
Player of the game
Myreon Jones: Jones was lights-out all game long from beyond the arc and helped fuel the Penn State offense. He made 5-of-6 3-point attempts in the first half to lead the team with 15 points through the games first 20 minutes and help the Nittany Lions to a halftime led. He kept up the efficient offense in the second half, scoring five points on 1-of-2 shooting from beyond the arc. His scoring was crucial in the game and one of the main reasons Penn State was able to build a lead in the first half. Jones finished the game with 20 points to lead the team in the victory.
Turning point
Lamar Stevens make four free throws to close it out: Penn State held a one-point lead on two occasions with 16 seconds or less on the clock. With 16 seconds to play and 9.1 seconds to play, Stevens went to the line to extend the Nittany Lions’ lead to three. He made all four of his free throw attempts in those situations to keep the Spartans at arm’s length and made it difficult for Michigan State to come back. Without Stevens’ free throw shooting down the stretch, the game could’ve gone in a myriad of different directions.
Stat of the Game
Penn State scores 15 second-chance points: Penn State head coach Pat Chambers has preached about his team’s rebounding and its need for improvement in recent weeks and it paid off Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions pulled down 11 offensive rebounds in the game to give themselves extra possessions. Those possessions earned them 15 second-chance points compared to Michigan State’s five second-chance points. The 10-point difference was the deciding factor in the game.
Up next
Minnesota: Penn State will travel home and take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday in its next matchup. The Nittany Lions fell to Minnesota in their first matchup, 75-69. The Golden Gophers are 11-10 overall and 5-6 in the Big Ten. They’re the No. 38 team in the country according to KenPom’s rankings.
The Spartans head on the road for their next game, an in-state battle with the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday. The Wolverines are 13-9 overall and 4-7 in the Big Ten. They hold the No. 26 spot in the KenPom rankings.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 10:23 PM.
