Penn State men’s basketball (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten) was pushed to the brink by Alabama (4-5, 0-0 SEC) at the Bryce Jordan Center Saturday afternoon.

A bad shooting start from both teams saw Penn State shooting just 32% from the field and down 40-34 at the half. But a late surge led by Lamar Stevens sealed both the Penn State comeback and the retention of its lead in the closing seconds.

How It Happened

Mike Watkins won the opening tip for Penn State and put the Nittany Lions up 2-0 off a great offensive rebound and put-back. But Alabama wasn’t going to fall over, earning five points that forced Pat Chambers to use a timeout just over two minutes into the game.

Both teams looked like they had trouble sleeping the night before, as messy play and long, drawn out possessions grinded the flow of the game to a halt. 5-5 was the deadlock for the first five minutes, and a Myreon Jones layup off a steal made it a 7-5 game with 15:42 still to play. Neither team looked comfortable shooting the ball, as the Crimson Tide went 2-11 with a handful of air-balled treys and Penn State just 3-11.

Alabama started to pick up the pace as the first half dragged on, finally hitting a couple threes along with strong drives to the rim and free throws padding the score. It was still a slow affair however, as Penn State followed behind with some uninspired offense, unable to replicate the quick pace and off-ball versatility that made them so deadly against Maryland.

Both teams started to look more active , as the Crimson Tide stopped air-balling threes and Jones brought Penn State back from the depths. A wide-open three and fancy fadeaway from mid-range were both made by the sophomore and put Penn State up 22-21 with 7:40 left in the half.

That optimism wouldn’t last however, as Alabama started to pull away, thanks in part to Penn State shooting 30% and Stevens’ bad half on offense. With both teams in the bonus now, Alabama was taking advantage of all its chances at the line along with aggressive interior play. Despite great overall effort on the defensive end, the Nittany Lions found themselves down 35-26 with 3:09 left in the half.

Curtis Jones Jr. came off the bench for the closing minutes of the first half and made the most of it, making sure Penn State wasn’t buried going into halftime. Two threes and a layup from the grad transfer helped the Nittany Lions keep up the pace against the Crimson Tide. As the first half of play wrapped up, Penn State found itself on the wrong end of a 40-34 lead.

Penn State looked desperate to earn its lead back as the second half started up. Myles Dread hit a big three in transition and Stevens looked like he got his groove back, nailing a jumper and two free throws after a rough first half from the field. That six point Bama lead was closed to 44-41, but the Crimson Tide responded right away with a 6-0 run to widen that gap once more.

The Nittany Lions kept on trucking though, as a Dread three knotted the game at 57 on a shot clock buzzer beater. Galin Smith got four quick points to put Alabama back up, but Stevens responded with a strong take to the hoop off of a strong defensive possession. Another Crimson Tide bucket off an offensive rebound put them back up four, taking a 63-59 lead into a timeout with 7:58 left in the game.

Myreon Jones would go 2-2 on a trip to the line, and a successfully converted and-one by Stevens finally gave Penn State that lead it so desperately wanted back. Watkins and Stevens, who were 1-4 and 1-6 in the first half respectively, both found their footing at exactly the right time for Penn State. Both played fantastic defense and Stevens started to take over on offense, pushing that lead to a 68-64 mark with 3:42 left.

Things were far from over, as Alabama kept up with the surging Nittany Lions. Penn State was still up 72-71 with 1:19 left in the game, but there was very little cushion on that lead. Watkins came up huge with a big block in the last seconds of play, but couldn’t make either of the free throws he was given on the ensuing possession. Another big Watkins play at the 12.5-second mark resulted in Alabama fouling the big man right after. He’d swish in one to make it 73-71 and the ensuing defensive stop all but sealed the game.

Takeaways

• After a slow start to the game, Lamar Stevens was the driving force behind Penn State’s second half surge. He had a real box stuffer, scoring 18, nabbing 11 rebounds, dishing out six assists, along with five blocks and two steals.
• Consider this Curtis Jones Jr.’s official arrival. The transfer exploded for 18 points and six rebounds and was a big reason why Penn State wasn’t completely smothered in the first half.
• Committing 16 turnovers isn’t the way you win basketball games, but Penn State was able to somehow grind it out. That sloppy ball-handling and iffy passing can’t become the norm however.
• C’mon BJC, there’s absolutely no way that It’s A Wonderful Life isn’t the best Christmas movie. That No. 4 ranking is far too low.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions will play their last game before Christmas on December 20 at 6:00 p.m. They’ll be hosting Central Connecticut State and you can catch all the action on BTN.