Penn State basketball uses big second-half run to take down Wagner

Penn State basketball uses full team effort to pull away from Wagner in non-conference action

Penn State is back in the column after pulling away from Wagner Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. Everybody chipped in for Penn State’s latest victory with Jalen Pickett and Sam Sessoms leading the team with 16 points each.

Penn State led Wagner 32-27 at halftime but took care of business in the second half with a big 22-4 run that allowed Micah Shrewsberry to feel a little more comfortable coming down the final stretch after seeing Penn State unable to put together a full team effort in recent games. After commenting on how his team hasn’t put together a full 40-minute effort, Shrewsberry seemed pleased with the results against Wagner. And

“We were more in control, we turned the ball over less, and we took care of the ball more,” junior forward Seth Lundy said in his postgame comments. “We were way more aggressive defensively. We didn’t allow any straight drives to the rim. Once you play better defense, you play better offense as well. We took control of the game with that.”

Penn State’s defense seems to be forming a bit of an identity as well. For the fourth time this season, Penn State held its opponent to fewer than 60 points in a game, and did so in regulation for the fifth time.

Next up for the Nittany Lions is a return to Big Ten play this weekend. Penn State travels to Michigan State for a Saturday afternoon game in East Lansing, Michigan. The game tips at 2:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on Big Ten Network.

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