The shot clock offered Rasir Bolton no time for hesitation.
It ticked toward zero as Penn State searched for a late bucket to close out a Jacksonville State team that hung around for about 38 minutes, and the ball found the Nittany Lions’ freshman point guard.
But Bolton was a freshman in label only on Monday. He elevated from well beyond the 3-point line and connected, giving the Nittany Lions a 12-point lead as they went on to win, 76-61.
“I’ve seen him take that shot before, and I almost want to say ‘Drive it,’” Penn State coach Pat Chambers said. “But I’ve seen him make it. I give him the freedom to make decisions. That’s why he came here and that’s why he fits our program very well. That was a big-time shot.”
Coming off the bench, Bolton’s statline fit the mold of a star, not a reserve.
His 25 points were tied with Lamar Stevens for the game’s highest total. Bolton was efficient, too. He made eight of his 14 field goals attempts and drilled four of the eight 3-pointers he attempted.
“We let Bolton go crazy,” Jacksonville State coach Ray Harper said.
And the Nittany Lions needed it. Penn State’s other freshman guards, Myles Dread and Myreon Jones, made only 3 of their 16 shots as senior guard Josh Reaves fought through foul trouble, playing only 23 minutes.
It left Chambers with little choice but to lean on the untried freshman to make shots.
“The way [Jacksonville State] play[s] is they pack it in and they force you to shoot jump-shots,” Chambers said, adding that he was comfortable with that given his team’s shooting ability.
But only Bolton, Reaves and star forward Lamar Stevens shot 50 percent or better, as the trio combined for 61 of Penn State’s 76 points.
Bolton was one of the few Nittany Lions who had any success breaking down the Gamecock interior defense, drawing the defense out as the game progressed and he continued to drill 3s.
It created opportunities to show off his touch with several smooth finishes at the rim, including a Euro-step that drew exclamations from the crowd.
Bolton played nine more minutes than starting point guard Jamari Wheeler, a shift Chambers attributed to the style of defense Jacksonville State played. Wheeler was 0-for-4 from the field on Monday.
The few minutes Bolton spent on the bench before entering the game proved useful, though.
“I’m just studying, reviewing the scout in my head,” Bolton said, “seeing the reads, seeing what the defense is doing, seeing what the offense is doing and just trying to go in and make an impact.”
Stevens used the the word “under-recruited” when discussing Bolton’s play. Rivals gave Bolton three stars and he received only four other high-major offers.
On Monday, Bolton endorsed Stevens’ claim with his play.
“Since the offseason and preseason I’ve been telling everybody about how good these freshmen are and how good Rasir really is,” Stevens said. “...When he got here I knew he could play, and he worked really hard. He deserves moments like this.