Penn State snaps three-game slide with 90-76 win against Ohio State
Patrick Chambers rejected the notion outright.
Stuck in a three-game slide that saw his Nittany Lions lose at Rutgers, against Wisconsin, and at Minnesota following a 12-2 start to the season, Penn State’s head coach knew history was not repeating itself. Just one year removed from a start to the Big Ten schedule that included an eight-game losing streak and an 0-10 mark in conference play, the same thing was not happening again.
“I don't believe that. I believe we're a different team. Just a short time ago we were Top 25. I just believe we have more depth, more talent,” Chambers said Friday. “I believe we gotta live in the present, not the past, and if we dwell and live in the past, well, that's only going to hurt us. So stay present, live in the moment. You can't win the moment unless you're in the moment. And focus on what we can control right now. And what we can control is going out and playing as hard as we can with effort and toughness.”
Saturday, the Nittany Lions did exactly that.
Welcoming No. 21-ranked Ohio State to the THON game at the Bryce Jordan Center, a total of 14,765 fans braved a nasty wintry mix of snow as Penn State earned a commanding, 90-76 win. And in a game marked by the Nittany Lions’ physicality, winning a rebounding battle for the first time in the new year, the elements that were present throughout Penn State’s ascent into the national rankings returned in full.
“I’m proud of my team. You know, it's tough in this league this year. And obviously, we had a little bit of a losing streak there. And you never want one to lead to two, two to lead to three,” Chambers said. “And I was really proud of them because they didn't look back and everybody wanted to look back. Everybody wanted to repeat history, and I wouldn't let them do it. I said it in a presser earlier this week, I wasn't gonna do it. We were going to stay present. We were going to get better.
“And we went out yesterday and practiced for an hour and 15 minutes, as hard as we could. And I think that's exactly what you saw today. We competed. We were tough. We were physical. We got on the floor, we attempted charges. They're all the winning plays that you need. We call them attitude plays. And I think really, that was the difference for us in the way we approached the game and the way we played the game.”
Equally impactful for the Nittany Lions was an offensive performance unlike any they’ve produced against Big Ten competition this season.
Knocking down 54 percent of their shots from the floor (29 of 54) and 47 percent from deep (9 of 19), the Nittany Lions upended a run of lackluster shooting halves, connecting on just 34.5 percent in the second half at Rutgers, missing their first 12 shots against Wisconsin for a 27.6 percent clip in the first half, and wilting to connect on just 24.1 percent of their shots in the second half at Minnesota.
Rather, paced by 24 points from an electric Lamar Stevens in just 20 minutes of play due to foul trouble, plus 20 from Myreon Jones, Penn State produced at every level on the floor and built on it with 23 of 28 made free throws.
Trading jabs to open the game, the Nittany Lions fell behind 4-3 in the first few minutes before a Stevens 3-pointer from the wing put Penn State ahead. They wouldn’t look back from there, the shot prompting an 11-0 Penn State run capped by a pair of Mike Watkins buckets that included a reverse layup in the air on an alley-oop pass.
Allowing just one Ohio State run in the half, a 7-point push paced by a Caleb Wesson 3-pointer and jump shot to create a 23-16 game, the Nittany Lions had answers for seemingly every Buckeye push. Whether through Seth Lundy’s 3-pointer to retake a double-digit lead, or Curtis Jones’ wide-open look from deep to end the half thanks to rapid ball movement in the half court, Penn State found itself ahead 42-27 heading into the half.
The second half would look much the same, the Nittany Lions letting their lead drop to 11 after two Andre Wesson 3-pointers, 44-33, before Myles Dread responded with his first made 3-pointer in four games. Quickly extending the lead to 56-36 on the back of a John Harrar authoritative dunk and a snapped off Izaiah Brockington jumper from the left elbow extended, the Buckeyes wouldn’t threaten again.
By the time Stevens threw down a monster tomahawk dunk, ripping straight through the heart of Ohio State’s defense with 2:25 left to play, Penn State had all it needed to secure the comfortable win.
Understanding his team’s circumstances coming into the game, Stevens said the performance Saturday was indicative of the position the Nittany Lions found themselves in.
“I think you definitely have to want it more. And I think that the message to the team is that we need to want it more and show it. And I think we did,” Stevens said. “You see Mike out there trying to take charges and guys just diving all over the floor. You could tell that we really wanted to win this game. And I think that just needs to be a consistent thing though. You can't just want it when you lost three in a row. You gotta do it like that every single night.”
The Nittany Lions will look to do so when they return to the road Wednesday to face Michigan (7 p.m., BTN).
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