Penn State Hoops falls in blowout to Indiana after nightmare first half
Murphy’s Law. Disaster. Ugly. Blowout.
However you say it, it all means the same thing.
Penn State dropped to Indiana 74-57 in a brutal showing in Bloomington on Wednesday night, falling below .500 for the first time this season. The two teams split their season series after Penn State won at home earlier in the year.
As much as nothing was working for the Nittany Lions, every single thing was right for Indiana. The Hoosiers came off of a blowout loss to Michigan and made sure to make a statement in their next chance on the court.
A shot-clock violation on Penn State’s first possession and a 10-0 in favor of Indiana said just about everything you need to know in terms of the game script, as Penn State found its first points of the game with nearly five minutes already off the clock.
The Nittany Lions didn’t reach 10 points until there was 6:48 left in the first half. Meanwhile, Indiana was playing pickup basketball.
The Hoosiers, led by Race Thompson and Trayce Jackson-Davis, were all over the floor. The first half saw Indiana scoring more points off of turnovers than Penn State for nearly the entire first 20 minutes. Indiana also did not miss from 3-point land in the first half.
Thompson had 11 at half, leading the Hoosiers to a 46-17 lead at the break. It marked the most points given up at halftime all season for the Nittany Lions, who have largely prided themselves on defense this year.
Penn State made it look a little better out of the half, finally hitting shots at a respectable rate, but the damage was already done. The Hoosiers and Nittany Lions were trading baskets throughout much of the second period.
The Nittany Lions found some momentum at the six-minute mark, sparking an 13-0 run that included three 3-pointers. It was far too little too late, though.
Jalen Pickett led Penn State in points, scoring all 14 in the second half with four 3s. John Harrar put up 13 points with nine rebounds, while Myles Dread added nine, backed by three makes from deep.
Three Hoosiers found their way into double figures on the night, as Xavier Johnson led the way with 19 points, powered by three triples. Thompson added a season-high 18 of his own, while Jackson-Davis tacked on 15 points, six rebounds and a whopping four blocks alongside a pair of highlight-reel dunks.
The block party went on all night for Indiana, as the Hoosiers swatted 10 Penn State shots in total with six different players registering a block.
Penn State ended the night shooting just 33% from the floor, while Indiana shot 51% from the field with a blistering 77% from deep. The Nittany Lions turned it over 14 times but actually out-rebounded Indiana 36-30.
The Nittany Lions home after a lengthy three-game road trip — which included three losses — on Monday against Iowa.
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