Looking to bounce back from their tough loss on Sunday to Rutgers, the Penn State men's basketball team was in need of a win on Wednesday night against Northwestern. It would have served as a crucial late-season Quad-1 victory but also got the Nittany Lions one step closer to the magical 20-win mark.
It would require an extra five minutes of play and a veteran play out of one of the Nittany Loins' youngest contributors but they would ultimately get the job done in a 68-65 win over the Wildcats.
With that in mind, it was a near-disastrous start for the Nittany Lions in the game, after the two teams traded buckets the first few minutes of action, finding themselves tied at five, the Wildcats would dominate the next eight minutes of action, going on a 15-5 run over the next 10 minutes of action to put the Nittany Lions down 20-10 with just over five minutes left in the first half.
Micah Shrewsberry's team, however, with their NCAA Tournament dreams on the line would battle back, cutting the deficit to just 23-22 after going on a 12-3 run over the next three minutes. The two teams eventually would go to halftime with Northwestern leading 28-24. The four-point deficit was a minor miracle for the Nittany Lions after turning the ball over nine times in the first 20 minutes, Northwestern failing to take advantage of the extra opportunities with just five fast-break points on six steals.
The first half of the Nittany Lions saw the trio of Seth Lundy, Andrew Funk, and Cam Wynter contribute 20 of the Nittany Lions' 24 first-half points. Senior guard Jalen Pickett who has often been the biggest reason for the Nittany Lions' success had a quiet first half with just two points but did contribute three rebounds and assists.
Coming out of the break, the Nittany Lions would make an early run, outscoring the Wildcats 10-5 over the first three minutes of the second half to take a 34-33 lead. That lead would get as big as 37-33 after a Seth Lundy three-point with just over 16 minutes remaining in the game.
After taking that four-point lead, however, the scoring would slow down for the Nittany Lions, allowing the Wildcats to take back the lead at 40-37 with 12 minutes remaining. The two teams from that point would begin trading baskets for the remainder of the second half, though the Nittany Lions would continue to find themselves trailing for most of the half.
That was until an Andrew Funk's three-pointer with 1:42 remaining in the second half put the Nittany Lions up 61-59. It was his fourth of the game, a night in which he totaled 1 7 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. He also had eight rebounds in the game.
Tied at 61-61 in the final 20 seconds of the second half, the Nittany Lions would have an opportunity to win the game in regulation but Funk, sharp for most of the night would narrowly miss the game-winning three-pointer as time expired, sending this one to overtime.
In overtime, both teams would struggle to score, suffering scoring droughts of over two minutes. keeping the game tied with 35 seconds remaining. Northwestern would have a chance to take a 67-65 point lead with 35 seconds left but Brooks Barnhizer missed a turnaround jumper, giving Penn State the chance at the game-winner.
In their final possession, the Nittany Lions looked to get Jalen Pickett an open look and the opportunity at the game-winning shot. Pickett would get that opportunity but would be off target, however, true freshman forward Evan Mahaffey would come up with the loose ball off the rebound before passing cross-court to Andrew Funk who would find Cam Wynter in the corner. Wynter with just seconds left in the game would sink the wide-open three, leaving just seventh-tenths of a second on the clock.
Mahaffey saves Penn State's tournament hopes
While Cam Wynter made the game-winning shot in the final moments of overtime, it was true freshman Evan Mahaffey who made the game-winning play for the Nittany Lions. After Jalen Pickett missed a contested jumper, Mahaffey fought for a loose ball rebound before making a perfect pass to an open Andrew Funk who quickly worked the ball to a wide-open Cam Wynter who sank the shot with seventh-tenths of a second.
It wasn't a big night in the boxscore for Mahaffey but he arguably made the play of the season for the Nittany Lions by getting the loose ball after Pickett's miss.
Nittany Lions March Madness dreams stay alive...
The win for Penn State is their fourth Quad I victory of the year, making them 4-7 against Quad I teams this season and 8-12 against Quads I and II. While it's still an uphill battle for the Nittany Lions, considered a "next four teams out" bubble team at this moment, the win keeps their March Madness dreams alive for at least a few more days.
Next up for Micah Shrewsberry and the Nittany Lions is No.21 Maryland, a chance to add a fifth Quad I victory to their resume. If the Nittany Lions can upset Maryland in their senior day season finale, it would significantly boost the Nittany Lions' tournament hopes though at least two wins in Chicago in the Big Ten Tournament would likely be needed.
However, first, they must take care of business on Sunday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center against Maryland with tip-off scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
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