Penn State men’s basketball (3-0) took care of business during its first away game of the season in the nation’s capital with an impressive 81-66 win over a solid Georgetown (2-1) team.

An extremely impressive opening performance from Myreon Jones set the tone for the rest of the game and helped the Nittany Lions pull away early. Lamar Stevens came alive in the second half and tied Myles Dread with 14 points to end the game.

How It Happened

Penn State couldn’t find the net after a long first possession but quickly got it back with a quick five points from Myreon Jones off of two steals. The Nittany Lions opened up with an extremely impressive defensive showing including three blocks in two minutes from Mike Watkins.

Jones steamrolled the Hoyas’ defense early in the first half with 14 of the Nittany Lions’ first 16 points, including two steals. His explosive play caused Patrick Ewing to call a timeout after going down 16-5 with just under 15 minutes to play in the first half. Sloppy play from both teams ensued after the timeout, with a handful of bad misses and turnovers.

Izaiah Brockington got the Nittany Lion offensive humming again with an impressive rebound off a missed three from Jones, followed by another gritty layup after a media timeout. An impressive defensive effort locked in a 22-7 lead for the Nittany Lions midway through the first half.

Jamari Wheeler picked up a technical foul after a flopping call disagreement, but Penn State kept its composure and cruised to a 25-10 lead thanks to a fourth three pointer from Jones. A pair of bad misses from Lamar Stevens and Miles Dread sparked a 9-0 run for the Hoyas. Stevens was finally able to break up this scoring drought after sinking a free throw for his first points of the night.

Georgetown managed close the gap as the first half wound down thanks to some sloppy offensive play and bad fouls from the Nittany Lions. Penn State also failed to capitalize off of Georgetown’s mistakes, only collecting 12 points off of the Hoyas’ first 13 turnovers. The Hoyas, cut down the lead to just eight points and trailed 42-34 going into the half with a little bit of momentum.

The Hoyas came out swinging in the second half with an absurd and-one dunk from Omer Yurtseven. The Nittany Lions failed to score on five straight possessions to open the half, but were finally bailed out by Myles Dread with a dagger from three.

Yurtseven capitalized off a Penn State turnover quickly with another dunk, but was answered by another Myles Dread three. But, the Hoyas kept coming up with answers. They went tit-for-tat with the Nittany Lions and cut their lead to just seven heading into a media timeout.

Penn State came out of the media timeout with a lock-down defensive showing and extended their lead to 13 off a handful of fast break scores. Stevens finally started to heat up as the second half forged on, with solid play on both sides of the court. He totaled five defensive rebounds and three assists heading into the second media timeout of the half.

With 10 minutes to play, the Nittany Lions started to pull away, boasting a 66-50 lead thanks to an all-around effort. Penn State continued a solid defensive effort and ket the Hoyas just out of reach throughout the second half.

Stevens brought Penn State’s scoring total up to 70 with his first three of the game, putting him into double digits. As the clock continued to tick down in the second half, Stevens answered an offensive stint from the Hoyas with yet another three and put Penn State ahead by 13.

The Nittany Lions started to play the clock game heading into the final minutes. A a nice pair of back-to-back threes from Wheeler and Dread stretched their lead to 17. Penn State kept things status quo near the end and let time expire with a final 81-66 on the scoreboard.

Takeaways

• Lamar Stevens started the first half cold offensively. He went 0-7 from the field with three turnovers. Although he was the scoring leader for the Nittany Lions last year, it was reassuring to see younger players like Myreon Jones and Myles Dread pick up his slack. Jones was beyond electric to start the game, stealing the show early.
• Neither team went on any particularly impressive runs in the second half, and the Nittany Lions showcased their ability to shut down any sort of offensive effort from the Hoyas. Lamar Stevens came alive defensively with some help from Mike Watkins, who finished with four blocks, seven defensive rebounds, and a steal.
• The Hoyas saw Penn State struggle as they implemented a full court press, resulting in a few ugly turnovers. If not for a solid defensive battle from the Nittany Lions, Georgetown could have gone on a big run. Hopefully Coach Chambers can help clean this up moving forward and prevent other teams from exploiting this weakness.

What’s Next

Penn State will host Bucknell at the Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday, November 19. Tip-off is at 6:30 pm.