Penn State kept it close with Pitt for most of the game on Sunday, but the Lions came up short in an 82-76 loss at the Palestra. The offense committed 16 turnovers and struggled to shoot from the floor in the second half. It was certainly a more competitive showing than last year's drubbing in Hershey, but it was not enough for Penn State to pull out a win.
The first half was tight and had very little flow for long stretches of the game, as both teams racked up a high number of fouls early in the half. Penn State finally got some separation when Brant Byers hit back-to-back threes with just over five minutes left in the half. The Nittany Lions led 35-28 and had momentum, but just as quickly as they built a lead, the Panthers closed out the half on a 14-3 run. Penn State had three turnovers that led to easy transition baskets for Pitt and turned the momentum of the game on its head. Pitt took a 42-38 lead to the locker room.
The hot shooting from both teams cooled off in the second half, and although Pitt led throughout, Penn State hung around. A'lahn Sumler set the tone with a pair of threes in the first few minutes of the second half that helped Pitt open up a seven-point lead, but the Panthers could not stretch the lead any further. Penn State made just nine field goals in the second half and needed to rely on its advantage at the free throw line to make up the difference. Penn State continued to trail by a modest margin, but poor interior defense left Baye Ndongo open for a dunk with under two minutes left that extended Pitt's lead to 77-69.
Penn State did not go quietly, as a three from Ivan Juric and a quick steal and layup by Josh Reed cut the deficit to 77-74, but Pitt held off the late charge with three free throws and a forced turnover on Penn State's final possession. The Panthers came away with an 82-76 win at the Palestra.
Ivan Juric-16 points, 9-10 free throws, 13 rebounds
No one was sharp offensively for Penn State, but Ivan Juric made nine of his ten free throws and had over a third of Penn State's rebounds all by himself.
Stop & Go-The number of fouls called in this game made time feel like it was standing still. Watching Penn State basketball is painful enough without the pace of the game being clunky and slow. Early-season games tend to have these issues because teams are still breaking in new players and learning systems, but this was excessive.
Rebounding-Penn State was +9 on the glass and had a significant rebounding advantage in the second half. Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions missed too many of their second chance opportunities and left possessions empty.
The Penn State Bakery-16 turnovers is not going to get it done against any team. The sequence before halftime where the seven-point lead turned into a four-point deficit had three turnovers, and it deflated any momentum Penn State had.
Penn State returns home to face Mercyhurst on Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30pm on Big Ten Plus.
