Tag: Seth Lundy

Penn State’s Big Ten Tourney run ends in championship game

Furious rally comes up short for Penn State vs. Purdue in Big Ten championship game

Penn State had one of the most exciting March runs in recent program history. Coming into the tournament, they were firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

They put themselves into the tournament with wins over Illinios and Northwestern on their way to their semifinal appearance. But they weren’t satisfied by just playing in the game. They beat Indiana to play in their second ever conference championship game and cement themselves in NCAA Tournament.

That run ended on Sunday after falling to Purdue 65-67.

Penn State made a flurry at the end of the game to come within one possession and a shot to win the game. They failed to get a shot off as [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] was called for a travel before the shot attempt.

It was going to be a tall task to beat the Boilermakers who had beat them twice during the regular season. The best team in the Big Ten all season, Purdue is also expected to be a one seed when the bracket is released.

Penn State hit their first two buckets of the game to lead 4-0, but missed their next six shots. This got them into an early hole and they trailed by their largest margin of the entire tournament.

The Nittany Lions were fighting an uphill battle the entire first half as they tried to stay in the game. They were able to keep the margin close and went into halftime down 27-35.

The uphill battled continued all second half as Purdue kept pounding them in the paint and on the offensive glass. The Boilermakers pulled down 13 offensive rebounds and kept possessions alive they ultimately capitalized on.

With six and a half minutes to go, it looked like Purdue was going to run away with the game. They were up 17 points and had Penn State out of sorts.

But Penn State would not go away. They started chipping away at the lead with basket after a basket from their seniors.

After a dunk from freshman [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag] with just under three minutes remaining, Penn State trailed 58-64.

[autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] cut the lead to four points after two made free throws, but Big Ten Player of the Year, [autotag]Zach Edey[/autotag], made a layup through a triple team to put the lead back up to six.

After [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] missed a three, Purdue was fouled and on free throw line looking to put the game away for good.

Freshman guard [autotag]Fletcher Loyer[/autotag] missed both free throws and Penn State senior guard [autotag]Myles Dread[/autotag] hit a three to cut the lead to three points.

The ending got crazy after Purdue turned the ball over in the backcourt on the steal from Mahaffey. Wynter hit a layup to unbelievably cut the lead to one point with seven seconds remaining.

Loyer was on the line again for Purdue. He made the first one but missed the second giving Penn State an opportunity to win or tie the game.

They advanced the ball into the front court and called a timeout to set up the potential game-winning shot.

When Pickett inbounded the ball, it was tipped and created a scramble play to get up a shot.

Dread came up with the ball and found Wynter who has hit clutch shots for Penn State all season. He pump-faked once and then shuffled his feet when trying to get a clean look.

Travel. Game over.

[autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] led the Nittany Lions with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Wynter added 14 points and Pickett finished with 11.

Probable NCAA Player of the Year, Edey, finished with a game-high 30 points and 13 rebounds. [autotag]David Jenkins Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Mason Gillis[/autotag] joined him in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively.

It was definitely a tough loss to stomach for Penn State and all its seniors. The magical postseason tournament run ended in heart breaking fashion.

But what a run it was!

Head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] did an excellent job getting all the players to buy in and believe they could make this run. After coming into the tournament with questions about their March Madness hopes, they left no doubt they are a tournament team.

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Report Card: Grading Penn State Men’s Basketball Big Ten Tournament

After a great run, let’s grade Penn State basketball’s performance in the Big Ten tournament.

The 2023 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will be seen as a turning point for the entire basketball program at State College. What they have accomplished after being predicted to finish sixth in the conference can’t be overlooked.

Did it end in a loss? Yes. Was it a disappointing loss? Not necessarily.

Penn State showed they have the makings to be a team that can bust some brackets and makes a deep run in the big tournament. They never dominated a game but that also is okay, they showed they can handle the neutral site well and play to the level of their competition without batting an eye.

One thing that was a lot of fun to watch unfold in the Big Ten tournament was the shooting of the Nittany Lions and how well they faired from beyond the arc.

Offense

(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

Grade: A-

Penn State shot extremely well against tough defenses and full-court pressure attacks from all four of their opponents. They shot 44.1% from the field and 34.6% from the three-point line. They would live and die by the triple but what held them back throughout was costly turnovers, especially at crucial points in the Purdue game.

All in all, this Penn State offense will be hot heading into the NCAA tournament which will be their biggest key to a run.

NEXT: Defense

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Penn State holds off Indiana to advance to Big Ten Championship game

Jalen Pickett leads Penn State over Indiana and into the Big Ten championship game

It’s been a magical ride for Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament so far. After beating Illinois and Northwestern in close games, they faced their toughest test on Saturday against Indiana.

Indiana came into the tournament with hopes of winning it for the first time in program history. Penn State had those same aspirations, although they were certainly a longshot to pull it off.

It was Penn State who prevailed in the semifinal, winning 77-73, advancing to their second ever championship game.

The Nittany Lions got off to a slow start early and was down by six points four minutes into the game. After the media timeout, Penn State went on an 8-0 run to take a 14-12 lead after a [autotag]Myles Dread[/autotag] three.

They never relinquished their lead in the first half was dominating the game.

In the previous two games of the tournament, [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] had been very quiet on the offensive end. He wasn’t hitting his scoring averages and looked to be running out of gas.

He put that notion to bed early in this game. Pickett scored 13 points in the first half and was a big reason why Penn State was explosive on the offensive end.

They went into the locker room leading 34-26 at halftime.

After the Nittany Lions stifled Indiana’s offense in the first half, it was only a matter of time before the Hoosiers made their run.

Penn State did a good in the early minutes of the second half, extending their lead to 10 points. But right around the 17 minute mark, the Indiana run started.

Indiana tied the game at 47 with just over ten minutes left after a big [autotag]Trayce Jackson-Davis[/autotag] dunk. It looked like the momentum was swinging towards the Hoosiers and the game was getting away from Penn State.

The seniors for Penn State took over the game. Pickett made a layup, [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] buried a three and [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] assisted freshman [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] for a dunk during their immediate 7-0 run.

From that point on, it was all Penn State. It looked like Funk put a dagger into Indiana when he drilled a 30 foot three point shot as the shot clock was expiring. That shot put them up by 11 points with four minutes left in the game.

But like all Penn State fans know, it’s not a Penn State basketball game unless it’s a nail biter.

With two minutes remaining in the game and the Nittany Lions up 13 points, it looked like the game was over.

That was certainly not the case.

Four turnovers and missed free throws kept Indiana in the game. They clawed at the lead possession by possession, capitalizing on all the late game mistakes given to them.

With 33 seconds left in the game, it was all of a sudden Penn State winning 74-73. [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] was fouled and hit two clutch free throws to put them up three points. Indiana’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year, J[autotag]alen Hood-Schifino[/autotag], missed the game tying three and Nittany Lions players, coaches and fans let out a loud exhale in unison.

Pickett finished with a game high 28 points while adding eight rebounds and four assists. Lundy was the only other Penn State player in double figures with 16 points.

It was going to be difficult for Penn State to stifle consensus All-American Jackson-Davis. He finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. They did a good job on Hood-Schifino holding him to 11 points on 4-13 shooting.

Penn State now advances to the Big Ten Championship game for the second time in school history. In their only previous appearance, they lost to one seed Ohio State during the 2010-11 season.

This is the third time a double digit seed has made the championship game. Illinois did it twice in 1999 and 2008.

They’ll be facing a one seed again in Purdue who has already beaten the Nittany Lions in convincing fashion twice this season. Probable Player of the Year winner [autotag]Zach Edey[/autotag] has been a major problem for Penn State to contain and will have their hands full on Sunday.

The championship game will tip at 3:30pm ET on CBS.

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Best photos from Penn State’s Big Ten semifinal victory over Indiana

Penn State arrived in Chicago needing at least one win just to make the NCAA Tournament, but now they will look to win their first Big Ten championship. Penn State pulled off a third straight upset on Saturday afternoon with a victory over the Indiana Hoosiers to book a spot in Sunday’s Big Ten championship game against Purdue.

The Nittany Lions showed how resilient they continue to be by going on a decisive run after Indiana dug out of a 10-point deficit to tie things up midway through the second half. This was all less than 24 hours after pulling off an overtime victory over Northwestern.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s semifinal victory over Indiana in Chicago.

Penn State advances to Big Ten Tournament semifinals

Penn State is going to the Big Ten tournament semifinals

Another game, another thriller for Penn State basketball!

They survived another close game against Northwestern on Friday night, winning 67-65 in overtime.

This was the second time in the last two meetings between these teams that the game was decided in the overtime period. On March 1, at Northwestern, [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] hit the game winner at the buzzer. On Friday night, in the Big Ten tournament, the roles were almost reversed.

To start the game, it was classic Big Ten basketball to put it kindly. There was a total of 14 combined points with ten minutes to play in the first half. Northwestern looked rusty and Penn State looked tired.

The scoring pace eventually ticked up and the Nittany Lions found themselves in another seesaw game. There were seven lead changes and four ties in the first half, which has been a staple of Penn State’s tournament games.

At the halftime buzzer, Penn State trailed 25-26.

After starting the first half on the back foot, the Nittany Lions came out swinging to start the second. Their mini 6-0 run gave them a 31-26 lead four minutes into the half.

Penn State kept Northwestern at arms length for a while, taking their largest lead of the game at seven points. But the Wildcats kept hanging around and hanging around, using their defense to stifle a normally potent attack.

With just over six minutes left in the game, Northwestern took their first lead of the second half.

[autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] answered with a three to give immediately give Penn State the lead back and the race to the finish was on from there.

In the final six minutes, the lead changed three times and the score was tied twice. It looked like Penn State was going to hit another walk-off shot against Northwestern, but [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag]’s three just missed off the back rim to keep the game knotted at 56.

Penn State looked to put the game away early in the extra period, getting out to a quick four point lead. Northwestern clawed their way back into the game and took the lead with over one minute left. Then Lundy hit another big three to give the lead back to the Nittany Lions.

That lead was never relinquished. Penn State survived a shot at the buzzer to advance to their first Big Ten Tournament semifinal since 2018.

The box score may not show it, but it was another quiet offensive night for [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag]. He finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, but wasn’t as effective as normal. Lundy was the team’s leading scorer with 16 points and hit big shot after big shot. Yesterday’s star Andrew Funk had an off shooting night but finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

A huge shoutout needs to be given to freshmen [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] and [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag]. They stepped up and made huge plays tonight. Clary scored 11 points and dished two assists. Njie added three points and four rebounds, but played a huge part in not allowing Northwestern to use their size on the interior. Clary and Njie were headliners of the highest rated recruiting class Penn State has ever had.

Northwestern’s star players had an off night. Second team All-Big Ten guard Boo Buie scored 16 points but shot 35% from the field. Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Year Chase Audige finished with six points when he averages 14.1 per game.

It’s been a fantastic run for Penn State who has now won six out of their last seven games. They are playing fantastic team basketball and earned their way into the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

They’ll play the winner of Indiana and Maryland on Saturday at roughly 3:30 pm ET on CBS (25 minutes after the consluion of Purdue vs. Ohio State).

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Best photos from Penn State’s Big Ten quarterfinal win over Northwestern

Check out these photos from Penn State’s quarterfinal win over Northwestern

If a win over Illinois didn’t clinch Penn State’s at-large berth in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, then a win over Northwestern on Friday night in Chicago may have been more than enough to push the Nittany Lions into the big dance. Penn State’s overtime 67-65 victory over the Wildcats, its second overtime win over Northwestern in as many weeks, forced the team to dig deep and make some big shots in a game that was anything but pretty.

[autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] hit some big three-point shots toward the end of the game to help give Penn State the win, and [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] shrugged off a tough night to come up with some big moments of his own in the final stretch.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s big win over Northwestern in the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal.

Penn State advances in Big Ten Tournament: Wins thriller against Illinois

Penn State advances and prepares for a matchup with Northwestern.

What a game!

In a tournament that had seen the lower-seeded teams win all four games prior to Penn State tipping off, that could have been looked at as either a good or bad omen.

The 10th-seeded Nittany Lions faced the seventh-seeded Illini, who they had beaten twice this season. Coming into the game, the old adage that it’s hard to beat a team three times was prevalent.

That was put to bed Thursday night with Penn State winning 79-76 to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament for the second straight season.

As expected in a trilogy, the game was tight to start. During the first ten minutes of the game, there were four lead changes and two ties. That would be a theme throughout the game.

However, the ten-minute mark was when Penn State started to separate in the first half.

After leading 17-14, they held Illinois to six points over the next six minutes. With five and a half minutes remaining in the first half, Penn State held a nine point lead.

Then, it was Illinois’ turn to make their run.

Penn State was held to two points for the remainder of the first half. The Illini cut the lead to 31-30 at halftime.

The second half had the makings of an all-time Big Ten Tournament game.

Two minutes in, it was tied 34-34 and it was game on from there. The second half saw 12 lead changes and four ties.

Penn State looked like they were in big trouble at times. Playing in front of a pro-Illinois crowd in Chicago, the stadium erupted when the Illini took a 40-46 lead at the 14:18 mark.

It was all grit from the Nittany Lions as they battled back. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag], who had a quiet scoring night, finished their 7-0 run to put Penn State back up 47-46.

From that point, it was a back and forth affair. Each team took the lead and then gave it up the next possession.

At the 6:30 mark, Pickett made a layup that put Penn State up for good. They never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game.

There was just enough separation that kept Illinois at arms length. This was punctuated by [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag]’s dagger three to put Penn State up eight with just under four minutes remaining.

Funk was sensational. He was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points, 18 of them coming from his six three-pointers.

In a night that Pickett was quiet scoring the ball, seniors [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] and [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] stepped up scoring 18 and 17 points respectively. Lundy finished with a double-double adding 10 rebounds.

Down the stretch, Penn State made things interesting when they couldn’t quite completely shut the door by missing multiple three throws.

But what’s a Penn State basketball game without some drama?

Illinois clawed their way back into the game, but their effort came up just short. Senior guard [autotag]Terrence Shannon Jr.[/autotag] was the Illini’s leading scorer with 19 points. Junior forward [autotag]Coleman Hawkins[/autotag] was a problem for Penn State all night and finished the game with 17 points.

This was a huge win for the Nittany Lions. It all but assures they’ve punched their ticket into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years.

But this team isn’t thinking about that right now.

They are still playing in the Big Ten Tournament and face a Northwestern team on Friday that they just beat.

That game is expected to tip off at 6:30 pm ET on Big Ten Network.

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Best photos from Penn State’s Big Ten tournament win over Illinois

Check out the best photos from Penn State’s Big Ten tournament win over Illinois.

Whether or not it was enough to assure themselves of a spot in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament remains to be seen, but Penn State’s victory over Illinois was certainly worth remembering fondly. Jalen Pickett and the Nittany Lions battled Illinois in a back-and-forth second half before finding a run to put the Illini in the rearview mirror. The win moved Penn State onto the Big Ten quarterfinals and gave them one more good win to add to their tournament push with Selection Sunday looming.

Penn State will face Northwestern on Friday evening in the United Center in Chicago. For the second game in a row, the Nittany Lions will take on a team that is already tournament bound with a likely partisan crowd in its favor. Penn State will be in for another tough battle, as every game should be at this point in the season.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s victory over Illinois.

Jalen Pickett earns consensus first-team All-Big Ten

Jalen Pickett earns unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honor from media

With the regular season in the rearview mirror and the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament set to get underway this week in Chicago, the Big Ten unveiled its postseason honors for the 2022-23 men’s college basketball season. Not surprisingly, Penn State’s best player landed on the first-team all-conference roster,

[autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag], Penn State’s best hope for an All-American was named to the first-team Al-Big Ten, although he was not a unanimous selection from the Big Ten coaches. The media voters, however, corrected this by naming Pickett one of four unanimous selections for first-team All-Big Ten. Which coaches didn’t vote Pickett to the first team is unknown.

Pickett averaged 18.0 points per game with 7.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game during the regular season in leading Penn State to a 19-12 record. Pickett has garnered some recognition as a potential all-American player from national media.

The Big Ten coaches unanimously voted for Purdue’s Zach Edey and Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis. In addition to Pickett, the Big Ten coaches included Terrence Shannon Jr. of Illinois and Kris Murray of Iowa on the first team.

Penn State’s [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] and [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] received honorable mentions from the Big Ten coaches.

The media voters had a different look for the first team All-Big Ten roster but were unanimous in their selections of Pickett, Edey, Jackson-Davis, and Murray. The media voters also included Boo Buie of Northwestern and Hunter Dickinson of Michigan on the first team (the coaches had Dickinson on the second team but left Buie off the entire roster despite going three teams deep and including a list of honorable mentions.

Funk and Lundy were each honorable mentions from the media voters as well.

[autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag], who stepped up big in Penn State’s last-second victory over Maryland to close out the regular season, was named as a 2022-23 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.

Pickett, Funk, Lundy, Wynter and the rest of the Nittany Lions will open their Big Ten tournament run on Thursday evening with a matchup against Illinois. Penn State went 2-0 against the Illini during the regular season, and one more could help keep the Nittany Lions in the NCAA Tournament picture with Selection Sunday looming.

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How Penn State’s wild win over Maryland sounded on the radio

You HAVE to hear how Penn State basketball’s win over Maryland sounded on the radio.

Penn State closed out its men’s basketball regular season with one of the biggest wins in the program’s history over the past decade. The last-second shot by [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] off an offensive rebound underneath the basket following a missed three-point shot by [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] gave Penn State a 65-64 lead over Maryland with half a second remaining on the clock, thus keeping hopes alive for a long-awaited berth in the upcoming NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

For as exciting an ending as Penn State had on the court, there was only one voice that needed to be heard call the closing moments of the signature win over Maryland. And that is the voice of [autotag]Steve Jones[/autotag], the radio voice of Penn State athletics, most notably football and men’s basketball.

You have probably seen the highlight playing on loop countless times over the past 24 hours, but here it is once more with the voice of jones reacting to the moment Penn State pulled the upset of the Terrapins.

Penn State will now head to the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament in Chicago as the no. 10 seed in the field. Penn State’s first game will be played Thursday evening against Illinois, a team the Nittany Lions have beaten twice already this season. Picking up a third win could go a long way to helping Penn State solidify its case for a spot in the NCAA tournament.

With any luck, we’ll get to hear Steve Jones go crazy a few more times before this season wraps up for the Nittany Lions.

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