Penn State Basketball finished strong in the Charleston Classic, with a 2-1 record, and improved to 5-1 on the season following a 68-56 win over Colorado State Sunday night.
After losing a heartbreaker to Virginia Tech on Friday, the Nittany Lions dominated this game from start to finish and are becoming legitimate contenders to return to the postseason.
How it Happened:
Penn State Basketball opened the game fast on a 10-0 start when the game went to the first TV timeout with 14:27 to play in the half. The run started with a Seth Lundy three and even featured a Kebba Njie make from beyond the arc. Colorado State started 0-8 through the first 5:33 minutes of this game and that was in part to a tough Penn State defense and some unlucky bounces.
Despite Colorado State being unable to hit a shot for the first 7:25 of the game, Penn State could not pull away, experiencing their own shooting woes. After trading baskets for a few possessions, the Nittany Lions took a 17-11 lead into the under 8 TV timeout.
The Nittany Lions were able to extend their lead to 33-21 despite not shooting entirely well from the field heading into the half. Penn State shot 40.6% from the field and 31.6% from three. The defense however was impressive holding Colorado State to 30% from the field and just 22.2% from three. Seth Lundy led all scorers in the 1st half with 14 points on 5-8 (3-5) shooting.
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Penn State Basketball continued their strong defensive performance out of the half along with solid shooting to take a 44-29 lead with 14:20 to go in the game. Colorado State went on a brief 10-4 run to cut the lead to 9 with under 10 minutes to play. Penn State responded with an 8-0 run to push the lead to 56-39 and retake control of momentum.
Micah Shrewsberry’s team would remain in control for the rest of the half and took care of the Rams 68-56. Penn State led this game from start to finish and were never really in any danger of losing.
Seth Lundy led Nittany Lion scorers with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Jalen Picket put together another double-double performance with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The key to the game was the Penn State defense holding Colorado State to just 32.8% shooting on the evening.
The Nittany Lions will need to continue that tough defensive play with Big Ten play starting in December.
Penn State will return to the Bryce Jordan Center on Friday for a matchup with Lafayette at 7:00 PM.
