Penn State men’s basketball (8-4, 0-2 Big Ten) was dominated by Pitt (7-6, 0-0 ACC) 80-46 Sunday afternoon at the Giant Center in Hershey.

In the two teams’ first matchup since 2017, the Nittany Lions were controlled from start to finish despite a 23-point outing from Freddie Dilione V.

How It Happened

The Panthers got the first lead of the game from a Barry Dunning Jr. triple and Damarco Minor also hit one from deep. After Penn State started 0-for-4 from the field, Kayden Mingo scored an and-one to get his team on the board.

Roman Siulepa also canned a three to put Pitt up 9-3, and after a couple scoreless possessions for each team, Dilione responded with a three of his own. However, Siulepa hit another one just before the game’s first media timeout to give Pitt a 12-6 advantage.

Continuing to let it fly from deep, Omari Witherspoon made Pitt’s fifth three from the corner and Nojus Indrusaitas got a third-change basket to put Pitt up by 11. Following a Juric turnover, Siulepa finished a layup through a foul to make it a 10-0 run, which was ended by a Juric block off the glass and a Dilione and-one.

With his foot on the line, Witherspoon knocked down a deep two, then made two free throws. Dilione’s consistent mid-range game clicked again with a jumper from the foul line. A tip-in by Cameron Corhen and spinning Indrusaitas fadeaway had Pitt up 27-13 and forced a Penn State timeout.

Corhen scored a couple easy buckets down low while Dilione and Mingo got twos, and with 6:10 to play, Pitt was up 31-17. Pitt scored two more unanswered baskets behind two Minor steals to take its largest lead at 18 before Dilione sank a three.

After the half’s last media timeout, Witherspoon made a mid-range baseline jumper. Minor then canned a three with the shot clock hitting zeroes, and Pitt was up 40-20 as Penn State called a timeout late in the half.

A Penn State turnover and Witherspoon missed three ended the first half, and the Nittany Lions headed to the locker room down by 20.

The second half began with one Siulepa free throw and two by Josh Reed. Mingo then got a steal and assist to Dilione on the break before the Nittany Lions forced a shot-clock violation, which led to a Mingo driving layup.

Reed finished a floater through traffic to make it an 8-0 run and force a Pitt timeout. After one more Siulepa free throw, Mingo stayed aggressive for another finish at the rim to bring Penn State back within 12.

Pitt got its first field goal of the half just over eight minutes in as Brandin Cummings made a long two then two free throws after a Juric foul. A Justin Houser block led to a runout and Dilione lay-in, but Pitt had an emphatic response with a Minor three, Witherspoon block, and Siulepa dunk.

A Siulepa layup and three gave the Panthers their largest lead at 56-34 on a 10-2 run. Reed ended the spurt with a three, but Siulepa hit one of his own and he had 20 points heading into the under-eight timeout.

Out of the break, Witherspoon drilled a corner three and Siulepa stayed hot. Penn State got buckets from Dilione and Houser but a Corhen and-one and Cummings layup put Puitt up by 31. Dilione, who got his point total to 23, answered from the mid range.

With a minute to go, Witherspoon, Houser, and Siulepa, who dropped 28, all knocked down threes, and the Panthers walked out an 80-46 win.

Takeaways

• Once again, Penn State had trouble defending the three-point line, as Pitt went 12-for-24.
• Against their most frequent opponent in program history, the Nittany Lions were controlled on the glass 42-30.
• Dilione was excellent getting to the shots he wanted, going 10-for-17 from the field.

What’s Next?

Penn State will be off for eight days before returning home to face NC Central at 1 p.m. on Monday, December 29 at the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.