Penn State men’s basketball (3-3, 0-2 Big Ten) was outmatched by No. 18 Illinois (6-3, 2-1 Big Ten) in a 98-81 loss. Myreon Jones and Izaiah Brockington led the Nittany Lions with 21 points.

The Fighting Illini out-rebounded the Nittany Lions 36 to 25, and that was the difference of the game. They were out hustled in the paint, and they could not stop Illinois at all.

How It Happened

Myreon Jones got Penn State started with a jump shot. A good defensive stand led to an Izaiah Brockington score, and he then scored on the next offensive possession.

The physicality of the Nittany Lions proved to be difficult for Illinois to handle early on, as John Harrar stole the ball and Jones was able to score on the other end. The Fighting Illini seemed to be on their heals early on.

Jones was feeling it on the court, as he scored on two straight jump shots and then knocked down a three-point shot. Then Myles Dread followed up with a three of his own.

After a couple baskets from Illinois out of the media timeout, Brockington continued the scoring with a jump shot of his own. Seth Lundy got his game going as well, but Illinois was keeping up with them dominating the paint.

Trent Buttrick was able to knock down a big three, and even though Illinois responded with a three of its own, the momentum stayed with the Nittany Lions as Brockington slammed the ball home.

The offense went back-and-forth for a while. Lundy hit a jump shot, Illinois hit a three, and then Jamari Wheeler made an uncontested layup. After a rough start, the Fighting Illini seemed to get better on offense while their defense was still questionable.

Penn State started to falter though, as it committed careless turnovers and poor defense caught up to the team. Brockington did make a three to slow that momentum down, but the tide had changed already.

Illinois took the lead with three minutes left in the first half, and the energy of the game changed. The Fighting Illini could not miss a shot.

But the Nittany Lions got some momentum back as Lundy made a slick jumper and then Brockington had another big slam dunk. But Illinois was able to stay ahead as they got to the free throw line and extend the lead.

Jones was able to push his way into the paint and make the shot, and the Nittany Lions went into halftime tied up at 43.

After Illinois got the second half started with a jump shot, Brockington answered with a slick jumper of his own. Harrar had a really good hook shot, but he picked up his third foul immediately after and headed to the bench.

The offense went back and forth, as the Fighting Illini continued dominating in the paint while Dread was able to even the score up with a three point shot. Illinois took the lead again, and then Sessoms tied it up with a layup.

Illinois then started to run away with the game. The shots kept falling for them, Penn State got into all sorts of foul trouble, and the Nittany Lions just made turnover after turnover. In the second half, it seemed like Penn State had no life in it.

The Nittany Lions were able to get some baskets down the stretch, but Illinois always had a response. Unforced errors still plagued them, and the defense continued to allow pressure in the paint.

Dread was able to hit a three to keep the Nittany Lions in the game, but Illinois responded with a basket of its own. Penn State was never able to get a key defensive stop when it need to.

Sessoms had some really nice offensive spurts, and he kept the Nittany Lions close. Abdou Tsimbila had a nice block, and Brockington scored a nice jumper, but those were the only positives that occurred down the stretch.

It was not a pretty sight in the last two minutes of the game. Penn State couldn’t make a basket and they couldn’t get a stop. They turned the ball over a lot and they just did not come out inspired in the second half. At the end of the day, the Nittany Lions didn’t show up, and ended up losing the game 98-81.

Takeaways

• The size issue was evident from the very beginning. Kofi Cockburn demolished whoever Penn State put on him, and it was the key matchup of the game. The Nittany Lions can take all the jump shots in the world, but if they can’t make key stops in the paint, they will lose.
• Seeing Myreon Jones be effective on offense is huge for Penn State. If he can continue to develop as a weapon alongside Izaiah Brockington and Seth Lundy, the Nittany Lions can become more of a threat to Big Ten teams. Everyone needs to contribute if they want to win going forward.
• Penn State played sloppy down the stretch. Careless fouls and bad turnovers ruined any chance that the Nittany Lions had of winning this game. They need to be more disciplined, or they will be in for a long season.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions travel to Bloomington to play Indiana at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 30. The game will air on the Big Ten Network.