Tag: Jalen Pickett

Photos from Penn State basketball’s big road win at Ohio State

Check out the photos from Jalen Pickett and Penn State’s big road win at Ohio State to keep tournament hopes alive.

[autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] was a man on a mission on Thursday night as Penn State came away with a massive road win at Ohio State. While a win against the Buckeyes doesn’t carry the weight this season it has in previous years, the Nittany Lions needed the win in Columbus to keep their hopes of reaching the NCAA tournament alive. And Pickett rose to the occasion.

Pickett put the team on his shoulders with a strong second-half performance to continue making a great impression on the national radar. If Pickett can continue to carry the load for the Nittany Lions in the final stretch of the regular season, the tournament hopes will continue to build momentum at the right time.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s 75-71 victory at Ohio State on Thursday evening.

Evan

Penn State basketball gets needed road win against Minnesota

Penn State basketball found a way to get a needed win on the road against lowly Minnesota

Penn State took care of business Saturday night against Minnesota. They won 76-69 to secure their second road win of the season.

This was a must-win game for the Nittany Lions.

After keeping their slim NCAA tournament hopes alive with a win over Illinois on Tuesday, they couldn’t afford a slip-up against the last-place team in the Big Ten.

Penn State started the game hot. They made five of their first six shots before the 16-minute media timeout. Minnesota was also matching them shot for shot and it was a close game for the first 10 minutes.

At the 10:22 mark, [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] hit a jumper to take lead and Penn State never looked back.

They never relinquished the lead again for the rest of the half. Minnesota managed to tie the game at 29, but that was the closest they came.

Penn State used an 8-0 run to go into the halftime locker room with a 10-point lead.

During Penn State’s losses, it’s been a tale of two halves; a successful one and one full of cold shooting and defensive lapses.

That looked to be the case early in the second half.

The Nittany Lions scored one point over in six and a half minutes after halftime. Minnesota took a 46-48 lead with 14 minutes left in the game.

The road struggles seemed to be rearing their ugly head again.

However, this game was different. Penn State used an 11-0 run to come from behind and take a 61-52 lead with eight and a half minutes to go.

This closed the book on the game.

The closest Minnesota ever got to the lead again was three points.

Coming off his historic performance at the Bryce Jordan Center, Pickett was sensational again.

He finished the game with 32 points and a near triple-double, adding nine rebounds and eight assists.

Senior guards [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] added 14 and 11 points respectively. Minnesota forward [autotag]Dawson Garcia[/autotag] was the game’s second-leading scorer with 23 points.

This was an important victory for Penn State. They kept themselves close to the March Madness bubble and set up a big showdown against Ohio State who travels to Purdue on Sunday.

Penn State travels to Ohio State on Tuesday night. The game will be aired on Fox Sports 1 at 6:30 pm ET.

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Best photos from Penn State basketball’s win over Illinois

Here are the best photos from Penn State basketball’s big win over Illinois.

After four difficult losses in Big Ten play, to say Penn State needed a win on Tuesday night would be a massive understatement, But Penn State came out with some hot shooting and [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] electrified the offense with a 41-point outburst as the Nittany Lions snapped its losing ways with a home win against Illinois,

Penn State knocked off Illinois in a high-scoring affair with a 93-81 victory in the Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday evening. The win improved Penn State to 15-11 overall and 6-9 in Big Ten play. The win came on a big night for the Big Ten standings as Wisconsin and Nebraska also won their games on Tuesday night, allowing the Nittany Lions to avoid falling farther down the Big Ten standings.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s big home win against the Illini.

Penn State, Jalen Pickett crush Illinois to stop losing streak

Jalen Pickett went off on Illinois to snap Penn State basketball’s losing streak.

Penn State’s offense was on full display at The Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday night. They used their hot shooting night to beat Illinois 93-81.

This victory put a stop to the four-game losing streak Penn State had coming into the evening. The story of the game was [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag].

After the loss to Maryland over the weekend, coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] put the spotlight on Pickett.

Frustrated with the lack of foul calls Pickett has been receiving, Shrewsberry said, “That kid is one of the best players in our league. He’s being treated unfairly.”

Pickett was red-hot in the first half. He looked to attack and get himself involved in the offense early.

He finished the first half with 24 points, shooting 10 of 12 from the floor and 4 of 6 from three.

Pickett also scored his 2,000th career point in the first half after hitting a three. This is a major milestone for the senior guard who is in his second season at Penn State.

The rest of the team followed their senior guard’s performance. Penn State shot 56% in the first half from both the field and three-point land.

After trailing at halftime in all four of their previous games, the Nittany Lions took a 53-40 lead into the locker room.

The hot shooting continued for Penn State.

Pickett finished with 41 points, shooting 15-20 from the field and 5-9 from three. This set the Bryce Jordan Center record for most points scored in a single game.

He also became the third men’s player to score 40 points in a game for Penn State, joining Gene Harris and Jesse Arnelle.

Guard [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] added 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] continued his run of good play adding 12 points on 50% shooting.

The team finished the game shooting 57.9% from the field and 42.9% from three point range.

This was the response they needed at home, hosting Illinois who came into the game 8-2 in their last 10 games.

Senior guard [autotag]Terrence Shannon Jr.[/autotag] was the game’s second leading scorer with 20 points. The Illini also had four others in double digits, including starting forwards [autotag]Coleman Hawkins[/autotag] with 12 points, [autotag]Matthew Mayer[/autotag] with 11 points and guard [autotag]Jayden Epps[/autotag] with 12 points.

Penn State goes on the road for their next game. They will face Minnesota, Saturday night at 9 pm eastern on Big Ten Network.

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Penn State basketball loses fourth game in a row at Maryland

Penn State’s losing streak continued with a loss at Maryland.

Penn State’s winless February continued Saturday afternoon. They lost 68-74 in College Park, Maryland against the Maryland Terrapins.

Freshman guard [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] led the Nittany Lions with 17 points. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] added 15 points but failed to hit his season averages with five assists and three rebounds.

Maryland senior guard, [autotag]Hakim Hart[/autotag], led the game with 23 points on 80% shooting from the field. Guard [autotag]Jahmir Young[/autotag] was the games second leading scorer with 18 points.

The road struggles continued for Penn State. They are now 1-7 away from home this season.

Beating Maryland on the road was going to be a tough task. The Terrapins are 13-1 at home, including an undefeated home record in Big Ten play.

Unlike the majority of the road losses, shooting was not the issue for Penn State in this game.

They shot 50% from the field and hit 12 three pointers on 46% shooting. This was their best shooting performance overall in the past few games.

They also defended the three point line much better than in the previous three losses.

Purdue, Nebraska and Wisconsin each hit eight or more threes and shot 40% from deep against Penn State in February.

On Saturday, Maryland made six three pointers on 38% shooting.

The issue was the free throw line and turnovers.

Penn State only shot four free throws and made two. Maryland got 18 of their points from the line on 23 attempts.

The Nittany Lions lead Division 1 basketball turning the ball over the fewest times per game with 8.7 Saturday, 13 turnovers were committed.

That’s the most frustrating thing about this teams’ losing streak.

A weakness is self scouted and addressed, but another issue pops up.

In a conference as deep as the Big Ten, any mistake can turn a winnable game into a loss.

Everyone is waiting to see if coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] can fix what is ailing his team and get the season back on track.

The last time Penn State played a complete game was in late January, when they throttle Michigan 83-61.

Penn State currently sits at 11th in the 14 team Big Ten standings.

Their next game takes place in The Bryce Jordan Center against Illinois at 7pm ET on Valentine’s Day.

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Penn State loses heartbreaker in overtime against Wisconsin

Penn State’s loss to Wisconsin on Wednesday was a tough one for the Nittany Lions

The Bryce Jordan Center has been a fortress for Penn State this season. Coming into Wednesday night’s game against Wisconsin, they had only lost once at home.

That changed after a 74-79 loss in overtime.

[autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] led the team in scoring with 17 points along with eight rebounds and eight assists. Guard [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] added 15 points and [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] continued his hot shooting stretch with four three pointers.

However, it wasn’t enough to slow down Wisconsin, who came into the game with a losing conference record on the road.

Penn State got off to a good start early in the game from three-point range, hitting their first two. Those were the only threes made in the first half as they missed their next seven three-pointers.

After Penn State’s second made three-pointer two minutes into the game, the offense went cold. A scoreless stretch of five and a half minutes was exacerbated by seven missed shots in a row.

Jalen Pickett hit a buzzer-beater before halftime to make the deficit six points.

The second half was a familiar story that Penn State has been facing their last three games. Finding themselves in a hole and trying to climb their way out.

Wisconsin was able to keep them on the ropes for the majority of the second half. With just over four minutes left to play, Penn State took their first lead of the game since they led 8-5 two minutes into the first half.

In the final three minutes of the game, there were three lead changes and three ties.

Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn, the game’s leading scorer with 19 points, hit a three with 33 seconds left to put the Badgers up three points.

Seth Lundy answered with his own three to tie the game up at 68 and force overtime.

That was the closest Penn State would be for the remainder night.

Wisconsin took the early lead and didn’t give it back, handing Penn State their third loss in a row.

This season, the home court has proven to be a major advantage for the Nittany Lions. That’s why this overtime loss was so crushing.

For a team that clearly struggles on the road, dropping games at home is a recipe for disaster.

The story of this three-game losing streak is the inability to guard the three-point line.

Purdue shot 45 percent, Nebraska shot 40 percent and Wisconsin shot 46 percent.

Penn State will look to end its losing streak Saturday as they go on the road to face Maryland.

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Badgers hold on for needed 79-74 OT win over Penn State

Wisconsin travelled to State College and beat Penn State 79-74 in OT on Wednesday. The narrow win was their third in the last 10 games.

Wisconsin travelled to State College and beat Penn State 79-74 in overtime on Wednesday. The narrow victory was their third win in their last 10 games and second over the last three contests. On top of that, the team was able to get a season sweep over their Big Ten opponent.

The Badgers were particularly effective from deep against the Nittany Lions, going 11-for-24 from three. Connor Essegian (18 points) and Chucky Hepburn (19 points) combined for nine three-pointers, making four and five respectively.

In addition to the two guards, Tyler Wahl returned to form Wednesday, scoring 16 points (6-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-6 FT) with six rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and a steal over a team-high 42 minutes. The double-digit point performance ended a three-game drought for the senior forward.

Wisconsin was able to take a 35-29 advantage into halftime but Penn State responded in the second half, knotting it up at 68 at the end of regulation.

In OT, all five of the Badgers’ starters were able to score and Wisconsin was able to escape with a victory, outscoring the Nittany Lions 11-6 in the extra period.

For Penn State, Jalen Pickett led the way with 17 points (8-19 FG, 1-5 3Pt), eight rebounds and eight assists over 41 minutes. The team also had three other players reach double-digit points with Camren Wynter (15), Seth Lundy (14) and Andrew Funk (10) getting to that mark in the loss.

The must-needed win for the Badgers should silence the Greg Gard critics for at least a fews days.

With the win, Wisconsin improved to 14-9 overall and 6-7 in Big Ten contests this season. They’ll return to action Saturday on the road versus Nebraska (11-14) at 2 PM.

Penn State dropped to 14-10 (5-8 in Big Ten) with the loss will look to get in win column when they travel to take on Maryland (16-8) on Saturday.

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Penn State basketball photos from an ugly Nebraska game

Best photos from Penn State’s basketball setback on the road in Lincoln.

Penn State was hoping to bounce back into the win column on Sunday, but instead the road woes continued for the Nittany Lions in a tough loss at Nebraska. Penn State was favored in the game but could not find a solution to stop the performance of Keisei Tominaga, who led all players with 30 points.

[autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] led the Nittany Lions with 24 points to continue his solid performance this season, but the Nittany Lions’ defense and lack of consistent offense combined for another loss that brings about more questions than answers for this basketball team’s pursuit of a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s setback in Lincoln.

Penn State basketball drops another game on the road against Nebraska

Penn State basketball had an ugly loss on Sunday at Nebraska, the second-worst team in the Big Ten.

It’s no secret Penn State has struggled away from home this season. After their 72-63 loss to Nebraska on Sunday afternoon, they now have one win and five losses on the road in Big Ten play.

That’s been the story for Penn State. A tale of two teams. At home, they can play with anybody. On the road, they struggle no matter who the opponent is.

After losing by 20 points to Purdue in their previous game, the game against Nebraska was very winnable on paper. Oddsmakers actually favored Penn State by 4.5 points.

The oddsmakers were wrong.

Penn State got off to a poor start and went into halftime trailing by nine points. They had moments in the second half where they cut into the deficit and tried to make a run. However, they couldn’t quite get over the hurdle.

This was in large part to Nebraska’s guard Keisei Tominaga. He finished with a game high 30 points and five three pointers.

Feb 5, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Keisei Tominaga (30) celebrates a three point basket against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] was Penn State’s leading scorer with 24 points and a record setting eight three pointers. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] added 15 points with seven assists and seven rebounds.

As has been the case all season, the shooting did not travel with the team when they left home. They shot 14-38 from three point range and that’s with Seth Lundy’s eight three pointers. The bench combined for eight points, including zero from guard [autotag]Myles Dread[/autotag].

In Big Ten play, Penn State averages around 15 points per game more at home than when they go on the road. Their defense gives up about two more points on the road than when playing at home.

That is not a recipe for being competitive in this conference.

Head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] has to figure out a way for his players to perform away from the Bryce Jordan Center. They have 11 wins this season at home, including four in Big Ten play. Their only loss at home was against Michigan State in early December.

Penn State’s next game is Wednesday night at home against a Wisconsin team who struggles on the road.

The Nittany Lions are currently 5-7 in conference play. They need to continue playing well at home and compete on the road if they want to build momentum leading into the Big Ten tournament.

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Penn State basketball can’t slow down No. 1 Purdue

Penn State had no answer for Purdue’s Mason Gillis in Wednesday night’s road loss

Penn State has seen some terrific nights throwing three-pointers through the net this season, but on Wednesday night the fortune was reversed in a big way. Purdue’s Mason Gillis was a man on fire from three-point range as he turned in a career night with nine made three-pointers and 29 points in a 80-60 victory over Penn State.

Penn State trailed the Boilermakers by six at halftime but could not keep up the pace after halftime. Similar to their previous meeting with Purdue in Philadelphia earlier this season, Purdue had everything working for it after halftime while Penn State could not keep pace. Such is the difference between a polished program like Purdue, which has lost just once all season, and Penn State, a program that is showing signs of improvement but is looking to continue taking the next steps forward.

While there is no shame in losing on the road against the top-ranked team in the country, there could be some frustrations for head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag], who for the second time saw his team lag behind Purdue after the halftime break. This is the second double-digit road loss for Penn State in the past week after losing at Rutgers so badly last week that Shrewsberry openly criticized his team’s effort (which led to a big turnaround with a big home win against Michigan).

[autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] was Penn State’s leader in scoring with 18 points and rebounds with six. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] added 12 points with seven assists and five rebounds. But [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] managed to contribute just two points and was a cold 0-for-6 from three-point range. Penn State’s bench contributed 15 points with [autotag]Camryn Wynter[/autotag] and [autotag]Myles Dread[/autotag] limited to just three points each in 31 combined minutes.

[autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag] was a bit of a bright spot off the bench with seven points on 3-for-3 shooting in 14 minutes. But this night was all about Purdue’s Gillis and his 29 points in 24 minutes.

Penn State dropped one game below .500 in Big Ten with the loss. The Nittany Lions will look to get a rebound win when they travel to Nebraska for a Sunday afternoon game.

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Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.