PSU Hoops drops home finale in blowout to Nebraska behind McGowens' 25
Bryce McGowens’ 25 points led an incredibly hot shooting night for Nebraska, as the Cornhuskers downed Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center, 93-70.
Penn State played an OK offensive first half, but the 1-16 Cornhuskers’ offense was a nightmare for the Nittany Lion defense.
Dallion Johnson picked up a foul immediately after the tipoff, and Nebraska and Penn State each traded turnovers before a barrage of 3-pointers landed in the BJC.
Both teams traded five total triples in the first three minutes of the game. Penn State was shooting 71% from the floor and Nebraska 58% before the Cornhuskers went unconscious and Penn State slowed down.
Nebraska went on a 9-0 run, including some way-too-easy buckets in the paint, before coach Micah Shrewsberry was forced to call a timeout near the 14-minute mark. In his first action since Feb. 5, Greg Lee made a long jumper to cut into the run, but Nebraska kept firing on all cylinders.
The Cornhuskers extended the run to 16-2 out of the break, breaking the usually stout Penn State defense at all times.
The Nittany Lions found a spell of momentum, as they forced four Nebraska turnovers in a minute and a half midway through the first period of play.
It didn’t last long, though, as the Cornhuskers went right back to a 7-0 run. Sam Sessoms broke it with a 3-pointer and a layup, but that was all, as Nebraska controlled every aspect for the rest of the half. It went into the break with a 49-31 lead.
Fred Hoiberg’s team dominated in transition and hustle plays, diving on loose balls. Penn State’s defense looked lost in perhaps its worst single-half performance all year, failing to close out on 3-pointers, leading Nebraska to a 58.3% mark in the half.
Three Cornhuskers scored in double figures in the first half. The red and white scored eight points in transition, aided by eight Penn State turnovers.
The trend continued to open the second half, with Nebraska jumping out to a 10-4 run before the under-16 timeout. Myles Dread hit a triple out of the break, but the rest of the way was nothing but ugly.
Hoiberg got his reserves mixed in for a large portion of the second half, as the outcome wasn’t in any doubt from about the 12-minute mark on.
Nebraska’s previous high for points in a regulation game of 88, set against Kennesaw State, was topped with more than four minutes left in the game. Penn State’s most given up in regulation of 81, set at UMass, was broken at the seven-minute mark.
The Cornhuskers finished their night shooting 58% from the field and a whopping 13-for-20 from deep. They out-rebounded Penn State by 12 and covered up for a poor 15 turnovers.
The Nittany Lions’ shooting wasn’t as bad as the score at 47%, but they turned it over 12 times and just looked out of it defensively all night.
Bryce McGowens nearly broke Nebraska’s freshman single-game scoring record with 25 points. He was lights out throughout the night to continue a strong season, shooting 8-for-13 and 3-for-5 from deep.
Four other scorers made it into double figures for the Cornhuskers. Bryce’s brother, Trey McGowens, knocked in 12 points with five rebounds and four assists. Alonzo Verge added 15, Lat Mayen tacked on 13 and Derrick Walker put up 10.
Sessoms, Seth Lundy and Jalen Pickett all scored 12 points apiece for the Nittany Lions, while Dallion Johnson tacked on 11. John Harrar had an extremely uncharacteristic night with four turnovers and just seven rebounds. He put up nine points, breaking his streak of four straight double-doubles.
Penn State heads on the road for its final two games of the season, starting on Thursday at Illinois.
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