Penn State men’s basketball snaps 8-game win streak with loss to Illinois
Penn State basketball’s eight-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday night as the Nittany Lions fell to Illinois at the Bryce Jordan Center, 62-56. The loss drops them to 20-6 overall with a 10-5 record in the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions allowed Illinois to dictate the pace of the game in its first 20 minutes. The Illini kept the pace slow and forced Penn State to score in the halfcourt for most of the first half. That proved to be a difficult task with senior forward Lamar Stevens only playing 11 minutes after picking up two fouls and sophomore guard Myreon Jones missing the game with an illness.
Jones’ absence was especially notable in the half as Penn State struggled from beyond the arc. The Nittany Lions made 1-of-9 attempts from deep to start the game and had a difficult time generating easy offense.
The second half started in favor of Illinois with its lead growing to eight early in the second half. Penn State responded to the 40-32 lead with a 7-0 run to get close, however, Illinois had a response of its own. Each time the Nittany Lions pulled close, the Illini had an answer.
Penn State’s last-gasp effort came up short when the team couldn’t get the ball back when it was down 58-56.
Stevens led the Nittany Lions with 13 points in the loss while Illinois sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu led the game with 24.
The Nittany Lions and Illini won’t meet again in the regular season, but could potentially meet again in the Big Ten Tournament.
Player of the game
Ayo Dosunmu: Illinois’ best player carried his team in his return from injury. The Illini needed his performance in a game where his teammates made 15-of-40 field goal attempts. The sophomore guard was 9-of-15 from the field on his way to 24 points in 37 minutes of action. Dosunmu was the best player on the court and showed no signs of rust in the win. He was the star of the show Tuesday night and the main reason Illinois pulled off the upset.
Turning point
Penn State can’t get the ball back with less than 30 seconds left: Penn State freshman wing Seth Lundy played excellent defense to stifle Dosunmu and force the ball out of his hands with just over 30 seconds left in the game. The Illinois guard had to pass to junior guard Trent Frazier who quickly put up a 3-pointer that didn’t have much of a chance of going in. The ball glanced off the rim and into the hands of Illinois’ Andres Feliz. Penn State was able to tie the possession up, but it was too little, too late. Illinois had the possession arrow and Penn State couldn’t replicate its defense to get another stop.
Stat of the Game
Penn State makes 4-of-19 from 3-point range: Penn State has shot the ball in recent games but that wasn’t the case Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions struggled from deep early in the game and that trend continued all night. Their lack of makes from deep plagued the entire roster with zero players making more than a single 3-pointer. Sophomore guard Myles Dread was the biggest factor in the team’s struggles. He made one of his eight attempts from beyond the arc and struggled for the first time in weeks. Penn State didn’t hit enough open looks to win, but that shouldn’t change how it plays moving forward.
Quotables
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood on Penn State:
“That’s a really, really good basketball team we beat tonight ... Penn State is a team that’s got an opportunity to go very, very deep in postseason play and we were very fortunate to beat them tonight.”
Penn State head coach Pat Chambers on what he learned in the loss:
“You’ve just got to show up every single night. The answer is real simple. You come to practice, you compete, you get better. And we have to do that. I thought defensively we did some really good things. Really good things.”
Up next
Indiana: Penn State will travel to Bloomington, Indiana, for its next matchup. The Nittany Lions will take on the Hoosiers Sunday at noon in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers are the No. 49 team in the country in KenPom’s rankings.
The Illini will take on one of the Big Ten’s worst teams in their next game. They’ll head home for a matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Cornhuskers are the No. 135 team in the country, according to KenPom.
