PSU Hoops completes 14-point comeback to upset No. 19 Michigan State
Penn State had a chance to snap a three-game losing streak, gain redemption and upset the No. 19 team in the nation at home Tuesday night, and it completed the task in a signature win.
John Harrar’s late and-1 and Seth Lundy’s in-your-face mid-range jumper sealed the upset for Penn State, as the Nittany Lions topped Michigan State 62-58.
Coach Tom Izzo’s squad jumped out to an early lead thanks to 55% shooting, while Penn State shot just 14% in the early stages and suffered a four-minute scoring drought. Michigan State, which averages 14 turnovers per game, had the giveaways bite them again, though.
Michigan State controlled much of the first half behind strong shooting, staying over 50% for nearly the entire first 20 minutes, but the Spartans struggled to control the ball offensively and opened the door for Penn State to hang around.
Between the six and three-minute mark, both teams combined for a nearly three-minute scoring drought.
The Nittany Lions stayed within two possessions throughout the stretch before Michigan State turned it over for the eighth time, and Jalen Pickett finally broke through the lid on the basket with a 3-pointer to tie it up.
He made a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession for Penn State’s first lead since the 18:23 mark. The Spartans’ shooting also fell below 50% during the stretch.
Both teams scored just once more before the halftime break, knotted at 24 apiece. Penn State was able to stay in the game despite the shooting discrepancy thanks to putting up five more total shots than Michigan State, a stat that has rarely gone in the Nittany Lions’ favor this season.
The Spartans, however, came out of the halftime gates blazing. Their 8-0 run forced Micah Shrewsberry to call a timeout before three minutes had passed.
Shortly after the break, Shrewsberry got tagged for his first technical foul as Penn State’s head coach. He’d been complaining about foul calls against his team for weeks, and he finally did enough to get T’d up after a no-call down low on John Harrar.
The floodgates opened up, and Michigan State appeared to be on its way to an easy win as it opened up a 14-point lead.
Shrewsberry’s team came back, though, off the back of a 15-2 run. Sam Sessoms, after being blocked three different times in the first half, found some space at the rim and nailed a 3-pointer on the run.
Michigan State nursed a narrow lead for a while, before Harrar secured a double-double with back-to-back finishes at the rim and brought the game within two points.
Seth Lundy drilled his fifth and Penn State’s 10th triple of the game to cut the deficit again at the three-minute mark, forcing Izzo’s hand for a timeout.
Shrewsberry’s defense kept the clamps on. Michigan State did not score from the four-minute mark to the 30-second mark, as Seth Lundy made a faceup mid-range jumper to take Penn State to its first lead since the 1:30 in the first half.
Harrar, a one-man wrecking crew on the glass all night, grabbed his own miss and converted an and-1 to send the Bryce Jordan Center into a frenzy.
Julius Marble cut the lead to two before intentional fouls started for Penn State. Sessoms hit both ends of a 1-and-1, but the Spartans’ Max Christie kept the game within two on a corner jumper.
Sophomore Dallion Johnson also made two shots, and Christie couldn’t convert at the buzzer to seal the deal.
Michigan State’s shooting plummeted in the second half to 38.7% after shooting 45.1% in the first period. On the flipside, Penn State skyrocketed to 51.9% after just 27.6% in the first 20 minutes.
The Nittany Lions won the turnover battle and stayed under 10 total turnovers for the second time in 11 games, giving it away eight times to Michigan State’s 11. Penn State also made 10 3-pointers to the Spartans’ five.
Harrar was easily the player of the game for the Nittany Lions, scoring 16 points with 16 rebounds and six on the offensive glass. His ability to control the boards alone helped Penn State control Michigan State in transition, a major weak point in the last meeting.
Lundy, highlighted by his clutch jumper with less than a minute left, led all scorers with 17 points, including five triples and five rebounds. Pickett added 10 points.
Marble and Christie were the only scorers in double figures for Michigan State at 14 and 10, respectively. Marble shot 6-for-7 and pulled down eight rebounds off the bench.
Penn State stays home for a rematch with Minnesota on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Golden Gophers topped the Nittany Lions 76-70 last Saturday.
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