PSU Hoops drops season finale to Rutgers after missing buzzer-beater
Sam Sessoms couldn’t hit the game-winning shot at Rutgers as the clock expired despite a strong comeback attempt from Penn State.
The Nittany Lions capped off coach Micah Shrewsberry’s inaugural season with a loss, 59-58, to Rutgers, finishing the year 12-16 and 7-13 in the conference.
Penn State got some early help with Rutgers big man Clifford Omoruyi riding the bench all half after two fouls in the first minute and change, but it didn’t make much difference for the Nittany Lions’ success.
Omoruyi’s replacement, sophomore Dean Reiber, scored nine first-half points in relief and did a lot to help quiet Penn State’s John Harrar both offensive and on the glass.
Rutgers’ defense overall, however, was the story of the first period. The Scarlet Knights forced three shot-clock violations throughout the first 20 minutes, while Penn State was simply ice cold from the floor.
The Nittany Lions shot just 17.9% from the floor and 1-for-12 from beyond the 3-point line. Rutgers wasn’t on fire, but its 42.3% shooting mark was a much prettier number.
Penn State also struggled to control the ball, turning it over six total times in the first half to lead to 10 Rutgers points.
After the 12-minute mark, the blue and white went more than six minutes without a field goal. Leading scorer Jalen Pickett didn’t score his first points until there was roughly a minute and a half left in the first half.
Despite the brutal half, Penn State was lucky to have Rutgers take just a 29-21 lead into halftime.
The close margin didn’t last long past the break, though.
Rutgers flew out of the gates to a 7-0 run, holding a double-digit lead over the Nittany Lions until the eight-minute mark.
Penn State broke the run out of the break and Myles Dread finally hit the Nittany Lions’ second triple of the game with 11 minutes to play.
Pickett forced a Rutgers turnover and hit from deep on the other end, while Sam Sessoms and Seth Lundy combined for another steal and score to bring the Rutgers lead to eight with 7:45 to play.
With Omoruyi back in the game, Rutgers was able to open up its offense at the rim, throwing down multiple alley-oops. Ron Harper Jr. found his way above the rim, too.
Penn State didn’t go away down the stretch, as Lundy hit once more from deep near the three-minute mark. Sessoms came up with another steal on the ensuing possession, and Harrar drew a foul, hitting both free throws to make it a two-point game.
After Harper Jr. missed a long 3-pointer, Lundy hit on a floater with two minutes left to tie it up for the first time since 17:21 of the first half.
Harper Jr. was fouled by Lundy and made one free throw, while Lundy committed an offensive foul on the other end. Lundy came back and blocked Paul Mulcahy, though, before Shrewsberry called a timeout.
Sessoms couldn’t score offensively, and Penn State started to foul. Caleb McConnell — a 65% free-throw shooter on the year — made both from the stripe to make it a three-point lead.
Greg Lee missed a contested triple with 20 seconds left, and Rutgers came up with the rebound before Geo Baker extended the lead to four. Sessoms spotted up and drained a 3-pointer in his defenders’ face, however, to make it a one-point deficit with under 10 seconds to go.
Jalanni White came into the game at the last second to contest the inbounds pass, and he affected it to the point where Lundy came up with a steal. Sessoms couldn’t get space on Baker in the half court, coming up short with a buzzer-beating 3-point attempt.
Penn State’s second-half shooting percentage was lightyears ahead of its first-half effort, scoring at a 46.4% clip with 5-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc.
Rutgers led for 37 minutes and two seconds, while Penn State held it for just 19 total seconds in the game despite the comeback effort.
Harper Jr. was the only scorer in double figures for Rutgers with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists. Reiber’s nine and Omoruyi’s nine tied for second in Scarlet Knights production.
Penn State had three in double figures, as Lundy impressed with 20 points with three treys. Harrar added 15 points and 17 rebounds for yet another double-double, and Sessoms tacked on 10 points.
Penn State will next head into the Big Ten Tournament with the potential to land between the 10th and 12th seeds in the conference.
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