Tag: Jalen Pickett

After three weeks off, Penn State basketball upsets Indiana

Penn State basketball ended a 22-day layoff with a home win over the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday

It had been a hot minute since Penn State men’s basketball saw the court against a live opponent. To be precise, it had been 22 days since Penn State’s last basketball game, a loss to Michigan State back on December 11, 2021. After three games had to be wiped off the schedule due to COVID-related concerns within the Penn State basketball program or with a scheduled opponent, the Nittany Lions finally returned to the court on Sunday. And it was worth the wait. Penn State won its first Big Ten game under head coach Micah Shrewsberry with a gritty 61-58 victory over Indiana on Sunday afternoon in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Jalen Pickett led Penn State in scoring with 15 points and the combination of Myles Dread and Sam Sessoms each ended the night with a +9 on the court. Dread was four-of-five from three-point range on what was a solid night for Penn State shooting the ball in key stretches.

Shrewsberry, who came to Penn State after being an assistant at Purdue, may have taken a little extra energy into the game against the Hoosiers. And during a timeout, that energy was taken out on a poor clipboard that didn’t stand a chance.

Indiana, suffering just its third loss of the season, made a strong effort to hide the result from its followers on Twitter.

Next up for Penn State is a road trip to Evanston, Illinois for a Big Ten contest at Northwestern. The Nittany Lions visit the Wildcats on Wednesday evening for a 9:00 p.m. ET tipoff. The game will air on Big Ten Network.

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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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Penn State basketball drops Big Ten opener to Ohio State

Penn State’s Big Ten opening loss in men’s basketball saw Nittany Lions playing from behind for most of the night.

Penn State men’s basketball got the new week started on the wrong foot Sunday night. The Nittany Lions fell in their Big Ten opener at home against the Ohio State Buckeyes, 76-64, dropping Penn State to 4-4 overall. Jalen Pickett scored 23 points on a night where Penn State trailed by 11 points at halftime and by as many as 18 in the second half.

Penn State jumped out to a 12-5 lead on the Buckeyes at the start of the game thanks to a 12-0 run with Seth Lundy (13 points) and Pickett leading the charge. But Ohio State answered by finding their three-point touch. Ohio State’s Kyle Young drained all four of his three-point shots in the game as he recorded a team-high 16 points for Ohio State.

Ohio State took a 41-30 lead into halftime and started the second half with a quick run to open the second half and separate themselves from Penn State. Any time Penn State gave their own push to cut into the lead, the Buckeyes would eventually find an answer to cut off the chances for a comeback by the Nittany Lions.

Penn State did do well in defending E.J. Liddell and Zed Key, holding the two far below their combined points-per-game average, but the Buckeyes showed they had the depth to overcome Penn Stae’s defensive focus.

One of the biggest takeaways Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry had to share after the game was how his team is still not playing a full 40-minute game, which has led to a 4-4 mark and two straight losses against power conference competition (and 1-3 overall).

“I’m looking forward to the day where we put together 40 minutes of good basketball for them,” Shrewsberry said after the game. “We’re getting better, but we’re not playing 40 minutes. And you have to against a good basketball team.”

Penn State will return to non-conference action later this week with another home game against Wagner. Penn State tips with Wagner on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Penn State will continue its Big Ten schedule on Saturday with a road trip to Michigan State.

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Penn State defense clamps down on Oregon State in Emerald Coast Classic

Penn State basketball came away with a defensive win over Oregon State in the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday

Less than 24 hours after dropping a close overtime contest to LSU, Penn State men’s basketball managed to rebound for a win in the consolation game of the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday afternoon. Penn State’s 60-45 victory over Oregon State was the first time Penn State held an opponent to 45 points or fewer since 2018 and the win was highlighted by a game-high 14 points from Jalen Pickett.

Pickett had an encouraging trip to Florida for the Emerald Coast Classic. In both games played by the Nittany Lions, Pickett led the team in scoring. On Saturday against Oregon State, Pickett also had a season-high seven assists as he distributed the ball well, and he added four rebounds to his final stat line.

Adding to the offensive mix for Penn State were double-digit efforts from Seth Lundy and Myles Dread, with and 13 and 12 points respectively. Without a dominant performance on offense from anyone on the court, it was important for Penn State to bring the intensity on the defensive front. And with both teams coming off overtime losses the previous day, head coach Micah Shrewsberry was proud of how his team adjusted.

“Last night’s game took a lot out of us and it’s a quick turnaround to get to today,” Shrewsberry said in his postgame comments, referring to Penn State’s loss to LSU on Friday night. “I thought we started a little bit sluggish, and you could tell, you could see we didn’t quite have our legs. Part of that was playing last night and it was hard. Oregon State did the same thing – they had to play an overtime game even later than we did. So both teams were a little bit sluggish, but I thought, even while we were sluggish early in the game, we still defended, we still guarded, and that’s something we want to do each and every game and that gives us a chance to win.”

The win against Orgeon State was Penn State’s first win of the season away from home in the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State was 0-2 away from home early on in the season before topping the Beavers on a neutral court.

Penn State will be home for its next game, a home contest against the Miami Hurricanes in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Penn State hosts Miami on Wednesday, December 1 at 9:15 p.m. ET.

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Penn State comes up short in OT vs LSU in Emerald Coast Classic

Penn State gave LSU a good challenge, but the Nittany Lions could not pull the upset in the Emerald Coast Classic

Penn State went toe-to-toe against undefeated LSU Friday evening in the Emerald Coast Classic, but the Nittany Lions couldn’t keep up the pace in overtime in Niceville, Florida. Penn State lost to LSU, 68-63.

Penn State gave LSU their first real test of the season, although Penn State only became the first team to crack 60 points on the Tigers because they forced the game into overtime. And the sequence in which Penn State tied the game in the final second was worth watching once again, as Seth Lundy got the tip-in with just under a second remaining in regulation.

Jalen Pickett was Penn State’s leading scorer with 14 points. Senior Sam Sessoms had 13 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, but LSU was able to contain Sessoms in overtime with just one bucket in the extra five minutes. Myles Dread added 11 points in a tough defensive battle between the Nittany Lions and Tigers.

Penn State had their chances in the overtime, but just could not finish. Lundy missed on a dunk and was later called for a charge as he worked his way to the basket on the same prolonged possession. Two points would have cut the LSU lead to one point in the overtime, but the Tigers used the missed opportunity to salt the game away.

LSU head coach Will Wade complimented Penn State in his postgame media session, saying it was the kind of opponent that will ultimately help his team compete in the SEC down the road.

“It was a great game with two good teams,” Wade said, according to The Advocate. “We played a physical Big Ten-style team. With their physicality, they did some things other teams haven’t been able to do against us.”

Penn State will now play in the consolation game of the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions will face the loser of the Oregon State-Wake Forest game at 4 p.m. ET. This will, of course, overlap with the Penn State-Michigan State football game, which starts at 3:30 p.m., so plan accordingly for two-screen viewing of your Nittany Lions on Saturday afternoon.

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Penn State Nittany Lions 2021-22 Men’s Basketball Roster

Full rundown of the Penn State men’s basketball roster for the 2021-22 season

Penn State’s men’s basketball team offers a blend of veteran Nittany Lions who have gone through three different head coaches in the past two years and a blend of incoming transfer players to help fill the roster after an eventful offseason in Happy Valley. Head coach Micah Shrewsberry wasted little time forming his first coaching staff and roster for his debut season as a head coach, and his Nittany Lions face a challenging big Ten slate and some interesting non-conference matchups.

Below is the full roster and some quick info about each player appearing on it for the Nittany Lions for the 2021-22 season. This roster page will be updated moving forward through the season with links to highlights, features, photo galleries, and more.

For Penn State’s men’s basketball schedule for the 2021-22 season, click HERE.

Penn State basketball transfer addition ranked among best in nation by ESPN

Jalen Pickett committing to Penn State was a pretty big deal for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry wasted little time in securing one of the best transfers in the nation. Jalen Pickett, who committed to Penn State earlier this spring after entering the transfer portal from Siena, was among the top college basketball transfers in a list compiled by ESPN.

Pickett was ranked No. 22 on a list of the top 100 college basketball transfers to date. The transfer commitment of Pickett had previously been praised as Shrewsberry has gone right to work to rebuild a Penn State basketball program in long need of a confident foundation for sustained success.

“Pickett actually had the worst statistical season of his career this past season, dropping to 12.9 points and 4.8 assists after going for at least 15 points and six assists in each of his first two seasons at Siena,” ESPN noted. “But he has size and shooting ability, and he can really pass.”

Penn State has lost a handful of players from last year’s roster through the transfer portal, however. Myreon Jones is the most notable of the departures from Happy Valley. Jones, ranked No. 45 by ESPN, is heading to the Florida Gators.

Guard Izaiah Brockington, ranked No. 84, is heading to Iowa State. It’s there he’ll be helping to fill a roster spot left vacant by Rasir Bolton, who also started his career at Penn State. Bolton (No. 44) is heading to national powerhouse Gonzaga.

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Penn State basketball beats Baylor, Gonzaga and Michigan for latest transfer addition

Penn State beat out Baylor, Gonzaga, and Michigan for the commitment of Sienna guard Jalen Pickett.

Penn State’s men’s basketball roster makeover added another solid piece of the puzzle on Sunday. According to a report from Jeff Borzello of ESPN, Penn State has landed the commitment of Siena guard Jalen Pickett. On top of that, Penn State beat out some stiff competition for the transfer.

Penn State beat out defending national champion Baylor, national runner-up Gonzaga, and Michigan for Pickett’s commitment, a monumental recruiting victory for new head coach Micah Shrewsberry no matter how many ways you look at it.

Pickett confirmed his decision with a graphic shared on his Twitter account on Sunday afternoon.

In the report from ESPN, Pickett explained that Shrewsberry’s work with Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas along with his offensive coaching at Purdue helped make Pickett feel comfortable in his transfer decision.

Pickett comes to Penn State already a celebrated basketball player in his own right. Two seasons ago, Pickett was named the MAAC Player of the Year while averaging 15.1 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game. Pickett was unable to match that production during this most recent college basketball season due to a pauses in the season and a hamstring injury. But there is no question the addition of Picekkt is major news for a Penn State basketball program looking to build a winning foundation under its latest head coach.

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