Penn State capped off the second day of the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament with a big win, pulling off a 71-68 upset of Ohio State in the second round of the conference tournament. After trailing the Buckeyes by nine at halftime, the Nittany Lions turned in an impressive second-half effort to dig out of the hole and come away with a surprising victory.
Sam Sessoms led the Nittany Lions with 18 points, and Jalen Pickett added 16 points and five assists. John Harrar and Myles Dread each contributed 12 points as well as Penn State got a fully well-balanced team effort at the best possible time. Harrar and Pickett combined for 17 of Penn State’s 29 rebounds.
Closing the gap!! 😤@JalenPickett7 makes it a one possession game for @PennStateMBB pic.twitter.com/w4JzAXlMFC
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 11, 2022
🔥 PENN STATE TAKES THE LEAD @samuel_sessoms drives to get the and one for @PennStateMBB pic.twitter.com/xLrmHZMkmM
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 11, 2022
Penn State is making its first appearance in the Big Ten quarterfinals for the first time since 2018.
Next up for Penn State is a third-round matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue, ranked No. 9 in the nation coming into the game, is the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament. The Boilermakers are looking to solidify at least a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament as they begin their Big Ten tournament run. The game is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET but will tip 25 minutes after.
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