PSU Hoops can't find second road win as Maryland's Russell pours in 18
In a battle of teams looking for an NIT bid, Penn State’s road struggles reared their head once again, as the Nittany Lions fell to Maryland, 67-61, in College Park on Monday night.
Coach Micah Shrewsberry’s squad played a tight first half before sloppy play took over and doomed an attempt at Penn State’s second true road win of the year.
Fatts Russell stripped Sam Sessoms with his Terrapins leading with 20 seconds left and hit both free throws to help ice the win for Maryland on its home court.
Russell and Qudus Wahab took it to Penn State in the paint early and often. On the flip side, Jalen Pickett and John Harrar did their best to match the two-man game.
Maryland carried the lead throughout the majority of the first half before Penn State finally found some momentum. Pickett scored on back-to-back possessions with a triple and a mid-range jumper.
The Nittany Lions then forced a near shot-clock violation and subsequent offensive foul before Harrar gave them their first lead since the first bucket of the game. It didn’t last long, though, as Eric Ayala took the lead right back with a trey.
Penn State bumped its lead to four in the late stages of the half with five unanswered points, and it held a two-point margin with a chance to stretch it on the last shot before break.
Shrewsberry called timeout to draw up a play, but Sessoms’ careless ball management turned into a Maryland steal and made basket to tie the game at 28 at halftime.
Pickett and Harrar went back to work at the start of the second period with a quick 6-2 run of their own, but Maryland took solid control quickly after that.
The Terrapins exploded for an 18-5 run between the 16 and 11-minute marks, taking a nine-point lead. They stretched it out to the widest margin at 13 points after another 7-0 run between the 9:40 and 8:40 marks.
Penn State’s play was sloppy to say the least in the stretch. Pickett, Sessoms and Seth Lundy each made ugly turnovers on both lost balls and bad passes.
While Pickett was finding high-percentage shots throughout the night, he struggled in the first half and finished just 6-for-18 overall.
Ayala and Russell, however, were finding their groove in the second half. They scored 28 of the Terrapins’ 39 total points in the second period.
The Nittany Lions made a last-ditch effort with an 8-2 run over four minutes. They cut the lead to six before Maryland and Sam Sessoms started trading buckets.
Sessoms had the lead at four after a layup, but Russel forced another untimely turnover of Sessoms when he went up for a three to cut the lead with 20 seconds left. Russell hit eight free throws in the final minute and helped ice it despite a late 3-pointer from Myles Dread.
Russell led all scorers with 18 points. He added two assists and two steals, only turning it over one time. Ayala and Donta Scott each added 13 and 12, respectively.
Three players hit double digits for Penn State. Sessoms poured in 17 but turned it over four times. Harrar snagged his third-straight double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Pickett added 13.
Penn State turned it over 13 times in total, while Maryland cashed in for 18 points off the giveaways.
The Nittany Lions fell to 11-13 and 6-10 in the conference, while the Terrapins jumped up to 12-14 and 4-11 in the Big Ten.
Penn State is next at home against Northwestern on Friday at 7 p.m. for senior night.
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