Penn State men’s basketball blows big lead, falls to Michigan State on Senior Night
Penn State dropped its second game in a row Tuesday evening when it lost to the Michigan State Spartans, 79-71, at the Bryce Jordan Center on the team’s senior night. The loss drops the Nittany Lions to 21-9 on the season and 11-8 in the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions couldn’t miss to start Tuesday’s game and it allowed them to open a big lead against the Spartans. They built their lead on the back of their hot 3-point shooting in the game’s first 20 minutes. The lead was as high as 19 in the first half and was 15 when it came to a close.
Penn State shot 10-of-17 from beyond the arc in the first half with four of those makes coming from sophomore guard Myreon Jones, who led the team with 12 points in the half.
Jones returned to the starting lineup after making his return to the rotation in Penn State’s last game, a 77-68 loss to Iowa Saturday afternoon. The sophomore missed the previous six games with an undisclosed illness.
The second half was a completely different story for Penn State. The Nittany Lions missed all 13 of their 3-point attempts and that doomed them. Their inability to create open shots left them limited opportunities to claw back in after giving up their lead early in the second half.
Jones finished as the team’s leading scorer with 16 points, while senior forward Lamar Stevens finished with 15 points. The two combined to take 34 shots in the game, making nine.
Michigan State and Penn State split their regular season series with each team winning their road contest.
Player of the game
Xavier Tillman: Junior forward Xavier Tillman was dominant on both ends of the floor in the win for the Spartans. He excelled defensively against Stevens in the game and dominated on the glass on both ends of the floor. He challenged the Penn State forward’s shot attempts on most occasions, including several blocks on shots that Stevens rarely struggles to get off. His offensive rebounding gave Michigan State four extra chances at the rim and it was a big reason why they were able to close out the win Tuesday night.
Turning point
Cassius Winston converts an and-one opportunity with 53.1 seconds left: Penn State managed to stay close late in the game, even though they couldn’t make any shots. That changed once Michigan State senior guard Cassius Winston was fouled by Penn State junior guard Jamari Wheeler with 53.1 seconds on the clock. Winston made the shot and converted the ensuing free throw attempt to make it a 77-70 game and seal the victory for the Spartans.
Stat of the Game
Lamar Stevens goes 3-of-19 from the field: The Nittany Lions needed their best player on Tuesday night, but he couldn’t deliver. The senior forward struggled from the opening tip and looked exhausted throughout the game. He couldn’t get by Tillman to earn the easy looks around the rim he usually does and struggled from every level of the offense. While Stevens was terrible offensively, his defense was crucial in the middle of the game against Tillman. However, it took its toll and he eventually wore down on that end as well. Even the best players in the conference are bound to have bad games, and Tuesday night Stevens had one in a big way.
Quotables
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo on Penn State head coach Pat Chambers:
“Pat’s done an unbelievable job ... I told him before the game he’s got a very good team. Unfortunately, the league is the best its been since he’s been in this league. Otherwise, there were a lot of years he would’ve ran through the league himself.”
Pat Chambers on the team’s seniors:
“I’m incredibly grateful, filled with gratitude, for what these seniors have accomplished in their careers. Just amazing. Mike Watkins staying the course when he easily could have left ... Lamar Stevens’ powerful statement last summer to stay. We’re not in a position to fight for a championship, which we haven’t done in my tenure, without those guys. So I’m incredibly grateful for them. And Curtis (Jones Jr.). He didn’t have to come here, he had many other suitors, but he chose to come here.”
Up next
Northwestern: Penn State will head to Evanston, Illinois for its final game of the regular season. The Nittany Lions will take on the Nortwestern Wildcats in their regular season finale Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats are the No. 134 team in the country according to KenPom’s ranking.
The Spartans will close out the regular season Sunday at home against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes are the No. 8 team in KenPom’s ranking.
This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 11:12 PM.
