Every game at Madison Square Garden feels a little bit different. The aura of the arena and the basketball history that has taken place there makes games there much more special than at other places.
For Penn State, the game against Georgia Tech also had a different feel to it after completely an improbable comeback against Ohio State on Dec. 9.
That win against the Buckeyes stopped a five-game skid and gave the Nittany Lions new life on the season ahead of this matchup against Georgia Tech and games versus Le Moyne and Rider on the horizon.
However, the same things that have plagued Penn State during this difficult stretch were present.
Their defense is a legitimate issue.
They’ve allowed their opponents to shoot 45% or higher from the field in seven of the last eight games, including a 45.1% by Georgia Tech on Saturday.
That’s one of the reasons why the Yellow Jackets went into halftime with a 39-37 lead.
Penn State came out of the locker room ready to play and things started seesawing a big after [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] tied things up at 39. They took a 45-43 lead with 16:56 remaining in the second half, but the defense was an issue again, getting them into a 63-54 hole with around 10 minutes left.
The biggest lead of the game happened at the 8:38 mark following a Dallan Coleman made three to extend Penn State’s deficit to 10 points. But instead of rolling over, the Nittany Lions made a big push.
They clawed their way back to make it 71-69 with 3:49 remaining that seemed to last forever. The next points weren’t scored until [autotag]D’Marco Dunn[/autotag] made a free throw. Penn State then took a 72-71 lead with 1:19 to go after a [autotag]Puff Johnson[/autotag] layup.
Ultimately, the Nittany Lions were able to force overtime after trailing by double digits in the second half.
How many Penn State fans will remember this one was by them being on the wrong side of a horrendous call.
With 23 seconds left, Clary made a jumper to give the Nittany Lions a 81-80 lead and needing just one stop to get this victory. After a [autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] block, Miles Kelly of Georgia Tech rebounded the ball but was falling backwards.
The officials called a foul on [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] although there was no contact made.
Kelly made two free throws since they were in the bonus and Penn State missed a desperation heave as time expired to lose the game 82-81.
It’s a tough pill to swallow considering this might have been the best game the backcourt has played together. Clary finished with a game-high 23 points and added seven rebounds. Baldwin had 18 points, seven assists, four steals and made four threes. Dunn added 17 points off the bench and Johnson scored 15, all in the second half, which was his highest mark of the year.
Now, the Nittany Lions will look to build upon this with two easy games coming up before hitting conference play full time.