A high-scoring first half for Penn State men’s basketball ended with a second period to be forgotten, as the Nittany Lions (12-5, 2-4 Big Ten) fell to Minnesota (10-7, 4-2 Big Ten) 75-69. The visitors seem to have lost a lot of the swagger that carried them through non-conference play, as Pat Chambers’ squad has now dropped three straight.

In his debut as a starter, Seth Lundy scored 13 points in the first half and led the Nittany Lions to a two-point lead at halftime. However, he and the rest of Penn State went cold, shooting 8-for-37 from the field in the closing 20 minutes.

How It Happened

For the first time all season, the Nittany Lions switched up the starting lineup. Freshman Seth Lundy entered the lineup in the backcourt for Myles Dread, while John Harrar replaced Mike Watkins at center.

The new additions to the starting lineup contributed early. A Lundy three along with a pair of Harrar lay ups within the first three minutes helped propel Penn State to an early advantage. The Nittany Lions led the hosts 12-7 at the first TV timeout, which was a significant improvement to the zero points accumulated at that point against Wisconsin in last Saturday’s loss.

Minnesota went on a quick run to close the early gap. Star center Daniel Oturu got into the game with four field goals and a free throw, bolstering the crowds intensity with the score at 16-apiece. A tough challenge on Jamari Wheeler’s drive went uncalled, and Minnesota took the lead off of a Payton Willis corner-three. Head coach Patrick Chambers was forced to burn one of his four timeouts with 12:29 left in the first half, and the Golden Gophers gaining a 19-16 lead.

Upon returning, Stevens contested an Oturu shot at the end of the shot clock, fouling the Minnesota big man. Stevens’ second forced him back to the bench. Oddly, an 8-0 Nittany Lion run followed Stevens’ departure to force Richard Pitino to call timeout. Moments later, an inadvertent knock to Watkins sent the big man to the locker room temporarily. The stoppage to deal with Watkins took a little wind out of the Nittany Lions’ sails, as their lead was cut to four points with three and a half minutes remaining in the opening period.

Neither team made a run as the contest went into intermission with Penn State leading a high-scoring affair, 46-44. While the offense sprang to life in the first 20 minutes of action, shooting 60% from the field, foul trouble once again hampered Chambers’ options. Five Nittany Lions took two personal fouls into the locker room, but 13 points from Lundy managed to keep Penn State afloat.

Stevens gave the Nittany Lions some breathing room out of the locker room, subduing the Minnesota faithful through two trademark, mid-range fadeaways. Penn State finally recorded its first turnover of the game with 16:24 left, only for Minnesota to return the favor. The Nittany Lions held a 56-49 lead entering the media timeout after a successful spell of offensive production.

Minnesota went on a run of its own and took a 61-59 lead, its first since midway through the first half, forcing Chambers to call for a break with 8:38 left. The Nittany Lions hadn’t made a field goal since the 17:04 mark, a dismal drought reminiscent of the frustration felt during the Rutgers and Wisconsin games.

The drought lasted until 5:28 remaining, when Myreon Jones attacked the rim for the first bucket in roughly five minutes. Amazingly, the Nittany Lions only trailed by five with five minutes to play. A loose ball scramble saw Omersa foul out for the Gophers, however that didn’t stop an Oturu three to pull the home team’s lead to 69-61. Stevens drove on Oturu with under three minutes to go, pulling the Lions within two possessions. Pitino took a timeout with the shot clock winding down and 1:17 to play, his side up 71-64.

The lack of three-point success continued for Penn State, as a Lundy miss turned into an and-one fast break from an on-fire Marcus Carr. The Nittany Lions weren’t done fighting, though, and a quick five-point run brought the score to 74-69 with 18 seconds on the clock. Wheeler made a hustle play off the full-court press, seemingly granting the basketball back to Penn State with 11 seconds left. However, after review the ball stayed with the Gophers. In another twist, Penn State got the ball back on a late 10 -second call, however Curtis Jones missed a desperate three. The game concluded with Minnesota winning 75-69.

Takeaways

• Pat Chambers made a statement by benching regular starters Dread and Watkins, and the decision proved beneficial to open the game. Lundy scored 15 while Harrar gave Watkins valuable rest, scoring six points while he was at it. The depth on the roster helped propel Penn State to its impressive early start, but it wasn’t enough down the stretch for the Nittany Lions.
• For the fourth straight game, one of Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins failed to show up in a big way. While Myreon Jones and Lundy both ended in double-figures, the Nittany Lions won’t be successful on the road in the Big Ten without their big players making big plays.
• Penn State went 60% from field goal range and had zero turnovers in the first half, but only entered the locker room with a two-point lead. That was mainly due to foul trouble and Minnesota’s offensive boards, two things that have bitten the Nittany Lions all season long. If Penn State wishes to compete in the Big Ten, it needs to tighten it up on the defensive end, especially when the production on the offensive end dries up (such as tonight).

What’s Next

Penn State will host No. 21 Ohio State on Saturday, January 18. The game will tipoff at noon and will be streamed on ESPNU.