Penn State men’s basketball (14-11, 5-9) fell against Maryland (17-8, 8-6) 74-68 in College Park Saturday afternoon. Kanye Clary led the way with 17 points, marking a career-high scoring outing for the freshman.

Jalen Pickett had 15 points, five assists, and three rebounds, while Andrew Funk added 14 points and five rebounds to the tally. Seth Lundy and Myles Dread each had 11 points, but it was not enough to overcome the Terrapins.

How It Happened

It took three minutes before the Nittany Lions scored, but Seth Lundy made a three to get them on the board. It wasn’t much of a setback, however, since the defense buckled down to start the game. Penn State garnered three blocks in the first three minutes, which prevented Maryland from going on a run.

Then, a slew of Penn State turnovers began hindered the early upset bid. The Nittany Lions committed four turnovers in the first seven minutes, allowing the Terrapins to go on an 8-0 run. Head coach Micah Shrewsberry had to call an early timeout to settle the team down after going 1-10 on their first 10 shots.

Myles Dread broke the streak coming out of the timeout with an open three. Maryland then went on a 7-0 run before Andrew Funk broke that run, but all of the momentum favored Maryalnd’s side going into the media timeout.

Kanye Clary then picked up a massive steal, which led to a layup on the other end. The next possession saw Jalen Pickett get his first points of the game. Maryland scored on a layup on the other side of the court, but Dread quickly responded with a three. The Nittany Lions crept back into the game, cutting the deficit to single digits.

Both Pickett and Clary found a grove in the paint, and then Funk hit a wide-open three. Suddenly, Penn State was only down by one and on a 14-3 run. The Terps ended the run by sinking two free throws, but Lundy hit a three to tie the game. Jahmir Young hit a three to respond, but Clary answered with a layup. Clary was banged up on the play, however, and had to ask to be taken out of the game.

Maryland held onto the ball for the last shot, which went in, and Penn State went into the break trailing 31-28.

Pickett began the scoring in the second half with an easy shot in the post, and the Nittany Lions started to roll in the second half. He scored another layup, and the game was tied up again. The All-American candidate then stepped out behind the arc and made a three to give Penn State its first lead of the game.

A flagrant-one foul on Camren Wynter allowed Maryland to score four points on one possession, and the lead flipped back to the Terrapins. They went on a 9-0 run over the course of two minutes to get the momentum back on their side. Funk broke that run with a huge three, which silenced the crowd in College Park.

Funk and Clary both got to the basket on back-to-back possessions, and the lead was cut down to one again. Maryland scored in the paint out of a media timeout, but Pickett responded with a fadeaway jumper and the lead was back down to one.

Two free throws from the Terrapins expanded the lead again, but Dread sunk a big three to tie the game right back up. Both teams kept trading baskets back and forth, but it was Maryland that took a three-point lead with seven minutes left in the game.

The Nittany Lions went on a four-minute scoring drought at the worst time, and Maryland took advantage of it. They went on a 9-0 scoring run during that stretch, and College Park was on fire. It wasn’t until Funk hit a three at the two-minute mark that Penn State finally scored.

The two teams traded threes back and forth, and the Nittany Lions fouled throughout the last minute of the game to try and hang on, but it wasn’t enough, as Penn State lost 74-68.

Takeaways

• Credit needs to be given when credit is due. Penn State played awfully in the first ten minutes of the game. And yet, it was only down by three at halftime. Kanye Clary played his best basketball all season, scoring six points, earning two assists, and getting a steal in the first half. Myles Dread hit the big shots he needed to, as did Andrew Funk. They bounced back in a huge way and put themselves in a position to compete in the game.
• Speaking of Kanye Clary, the freshman balled out on the road. He finished the game with a career-high 17 points and was one of the main sources of offense for the Nittany Lions. His development is crucial to the program’s future.
• As Penn State’s losing streak continues, fans wonder what needs to change in order for it to get back in the win column. Defenses have slowed Jalen Pickett down, and that has drastically impacted how the role players have functioned in the offense. Defensively, it has felt like no adjustments have been made to stop the constant scoring in the paint. Shrewsberry needs to come up with more adjustments fast before the Illinois game, or else this losing streak will continue.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions return home for a Valentine’s Day showdown against Illinois on Tuesday, February 14. The game tips off at 7 p.m. and airs on ESPNU.