PSU Hoops comeback falls short against Ohio State in Big Ten opener
The Bryce Jordan Center was rocking early and often with Ohio State in town Sunday night, but an energetic crowd wasn’t quite enough to push the Nittany Lions to victory.
“I'm looking forward to the day where we put together 40 minutes of good basketball for [the fans], and more and more people want to come and watch this group play,” Micah Shrewsberry said postgame. “We're getting better, but we're not playing 40 minutes, and you have to against a good basketball team. That's a really good basketball team.”
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Ohio State got the scoring going early with five quick points, but Penn State exploded with a 12-0 run to answer. Some back and forth between both teams filled the first half, but Ohio State rode some hot shooting to go on a 6-0 run.
First-half scoring slowed way down in the later stages for both teams, but the Buckeyes held on to a solid 41-30 lead heading into the break.
Ohio State kept the momentum coming out of the second-half gates, building up to an 18-point lead at one point.
Penn State didn’t go away, though. The Nittany Lions made a late run at the Buckeyes, bringing the lead back down to single digits behind some good offense from Jalen Pickett and John Harrar.
Shrewsberry’s crew brought the lead all the way back down to six before the end of the night, but the Buckeyes held on.
Penn State dropped its Big Ten opener 76-64 to Ohio State.
Wheeler triumphant in return
Former Nittany Lion Jamari Wheeler, who transferred to Ohio State this offseason, came back to the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time since his departure.
The Penn State faithful let Wheeler hear it all night, starting with some heavy boos when he was introduced as a starter. Then, the boos continued every time he touched the ball throughout the game. He was also welcomed with “traitor” chants and a line of students with the word painted on their chest.
“I think he expected the crowd to give him some attention, and I know, there was some positive things said to him as well, which I know he appreciated,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said after the game. “He loves this place, so I know it was an emotional game for him in a lot of ways.”
Wheeler didn’t light up the stat sheet for the Buckeyes, scoring nine points on 4-for-10 shooting, but he distributed the ball excellently with nine assists and just one turnover.
Kyle Young and E.J. Liddell led the way for the scarlet and grey, piling up 16 points and 14 points, respectively.
A red-hot shooting night also helped the Buckeyes to victory. Ohio State drilled 12 3-pointers on the night with a 44% mark from deep.
After the game, Shrewsberry said he was happy overall with the defensive performance, especially against Ohio State’s big men, but acknowledged you sometimes have to “pick your poison” against such a talented team.
“They make you make a decision [on] how you're going to guard them. We did a good job,” Shrewsberry said. “If you'd have told me that Zed Key and E.J. Liddell were gonna get 18 points, I'd have felt pretty good about this. But the threes [were] the difference in that game tonight.”
Pickett, Harrar carry the load
Though the comeback attempt fell short, Pickett and Harrar made it a two-man show for the Nittany Lions at the end of the night.
Harrar picked up yet another double-double on the night, racking up 12 points and 12 rebounds in the Big Ten opener.
“I'm gonna fight tooth and nail, whether I gotta get my old ass out there and play, too, I'm gonna fight tooth and nail for that dude to have a good season,” Shrewsberry said of Harrar.
Pickett has continued to grow as an offensive leader for Penn State, especially on a night when second-leading scorer Sam Sessoms had just five points. Pickett added three assists and four rebounds to his 23 points and played all 40 minutes in the game.
Shrewsberry applauded Pickett for his ability to “play off two feet” against a good shot-blocking team in Ohio State, and he said Pickett did a really nice job driving off of pick and rolls, getting defenders out of position and finding the open man if the shot wasn’t there.
He also complimented Pickett’s ability to help out on the defensive end, especially having to guard the opponent’s best player on numerous occasions.
“We’re putting a lot on his plate,” Shrewsberry said. “For him to play 40 minutes, for him to play how he's played, that's what I envisioned when we got him… If he's playing like this, he gives us a chance every night.”
Turnovers weren’t as much of a problem for Penn State through the night, but the Nittany Lions did still wind up with 15 when it was all said and done. They also managed to out-rebound Ohio State by a narrow mark.
Lundy has up-and-down night
Seth Lundy was riding a bit of a cold streak over the past couple of games, but he got back into a groove against the Buckeyes early on Sunday.
Within the first nine minutes of action, Lundy was already in double figures for the Nittany Lions. He was consistently beating Buckeye defenders to the hoop while also finding a more consistent shot from the outside.
Lundy ended the night with 13 points, trailing just Pickett’s 23 for a team high.
The junior forward had a less glamorous end to the game, showing some clear frustration with no-calls on drives to the hoop and some ticky-tack fouls called against him.
Shrewsberry said the game will serve as a learning experience for Lundy and the entire team for reasons just like that.
“He did have a great start, he was attacking. But he needs to attack at the right times,” Shrewsberry said. “It's a learning process for all of us. I'm glad he started the way did. We need him to continue to play that way the whole game. And then he can't get down himself.”
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