Penn State survives late Furman barrage in 73-68 win
Penn State was virtually unconscious. Trailing Furman in the opening minutes of the first round of the Charleston Classic on Thursday morning, the Nittany Lions unleashed a two-part avalanche.
They’d be thankful for it later.
Building an advantage of as many as 21 points in the first half, Penn State survived a second-half barrage from the Paladins to earn a 73-68 win. The decision improves the Nittany Lions to 4-0 for the 2022-23 season.
They’ll face the winner of Virginia Tech and Old Dominion on Friday at noon in a game that will be broadcast by ESPNU.
Before moving on to the next round though, here’s a look at what happened in the Nittany Lions’ rollercoaster win over Furman:
Jalen Pickett shined again
Penn State’s point guard remained a force for the Nittany Lions, pacing every facet of the win, as he’s done all season. This time, it looked like 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go along with seven assists and four rebounds, with just one turnover.
And really, that influence for Jalen Pickett showed itself throughout the game.
Whether bullying his way close to the basket, finding open teammates thanks to the attention he drew from the Paladin’s defense, or knocking down tough jumpers, Pickett produced a complete game. This, following his triple-double in Penn State’s win over Butler on Monday night at the Bryce Jordan Center, just the second in program history.
Through the first four games of the season, Pickett has averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game. All are tops for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State’s issue with size
Penn State built a big lead thanks to its 54.8 percent shooting rate from the floor and 6-of-13 made 3s in the first half. Executed while stifling a talented Furman team, the Nittany Lions forced tough shots and, outside of guard Mike Bothwell, kept the Paladins from getting many good looks.
What might have gotten lost in the process was the reality that Furman was getting second looks at a rate so far disallowed by the Nittany Lions to this point in the season.
In the first half alone, Furman had 8 second-chance points on nine offensive rebounds. And, for the game, Penn State lost the rebounding battle 40-32 for the first time this season.
Seth Lundy finished with a team-high 7 rebounds to go along with his 20 points, but Kebba Njie showed his inexperience and bulk differential, corralling 4 rebounds. Caleb Dorsey was limited to 2 points and 5 boards, meanwhile, as Tyrese Hughey collected 11 rebounds and Jalen Slawson added six for the Paladins.
Second-half trends?
A double-digit first-half lead, a lull to open the second half, and having to battle to finish out the win proved to be the story Thursday afternoon. It was, in some ways, the same story on Monday against Butler.
Coming back down to earth shooting, connecting on 5-of-14 3-pointers and just 10-of-28 attempts in the second half, the Nittany Lions weren’t lacking for decent looks. But, with Andrew Funk struggling, missing each of his first seven shots, Penn State found itself on the wrong end of a 1-of-7 stretch through the middle of the second half.
Still, between a huge Funk make from deep at the shot clock buzzer, followed by another two minutes later, Penn State maintained its ever-so-slight edge while Furman closed the game on an 0-for-4 run from deep.
Managing a huge rebound off the third of those misses, Seth Lundy iced the game at the free throw line to give the Nittany Lions the 5-point win.
