A valiant comeback effort fell short on Saturday for Penn State men's basketball as the Nittany Lions fell to Georgia Tech 82-81, thanks in part to a late controversial foul call that allowed the Yellow Jackets to hit the game-winning free throws in the final seconds.
Kayne Clary scored 23 points, Ace Baldwin had 18, and Puff Jonhson had 15 in the loss for the Nittany Lions.
After a close first half that saw Georgia Tech take a 39-37 lead into halftime, the Nittany Lions would fall behind by 10 points with just 5:28 remaining before playing smother press defense, forcing the Yellow Jackets to go on a cold streak for most of the second half. While the Nittany Lions' shooting wouldn't be much better, it was enough to get the game to 72-72 by the end of regulation.
In overtime, both teams struggled from the field, Georgia Tech shooting 3-of-8 while Penn State hit just 4-of-12 attempts.
The Nittany Lions held an 81-80 advantage in the game's final seconds. Following a missed Kowacie Reaves three-point attempt, Ace Baldwin would be called for a foul that would send Tech's Miles Kelly to the line, sinking both attempts to put the NIttany Lions down one with two seconds remaining. The Nittany Lions were unable to hit their last-ditch effort shot to win the game, dropping their record to 5-6 on the season.
Controversial call not the only reason for Nittany Lions' loss
While the foul call on Ace Baldwin will ultimately be what is remembered about this game, it is far from the only reason that the Nittany Lions fell on Saturday to Georgia Tech.
The Nittany Lions on Saturday struggled to shoot throughout the second half and overtime. After shooting a quality 44.4% in the first 20 minutes of action, they shot just 37.1% in the second half and 33.3% in overtime. They were dominated in the first half on the boards, Georgia Tech taking a 26-8 advantage in rebounds into halftime. Penn State would do better in the second half, only being outrebounded 21-19 in the second half and 7-5 in overtime. While it improved, never throughout the game were the Nittany Lions able to have the advantage on the boards.
In the first half, Georgia Tech's 26-8 advantage eventually led to the Yellow Jackets also having an 11-3 advantage in second-chance points in the first half of play. Had the Nittany Lions been able to have a bit more success in that department over the first half, the controversial foul call may not have played such a deciding factor.
NEXT UP
Penn State sets up well to bounce back next Thursday when they host Le Moyne. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on Peacock.
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