Gritty Not Pretty: Penn State Defeats Delaware State 60-46

Story posted December 31, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Adam Sheetz

Penn State struggled from the field, but was able to hold off Delaware State 60-46.

The Nittany Lions shot 37% from the field and 25% from behind the arc, but were able to overcome their struggles to move to 10-3 on the season.

Head coach Micah Shrewsberry attested the struggles to coaching after the game. Shrewsberry was not pleased, and discussed what fans may have left the Bryce Jordan Center feeling after the Penn State win. “They left with that feeling that we are not well coached,” Shrewsberry said. “They left feeling like we don’t play hard and don’t cheer for each other.”

When asked why he felt that way, he stated there were a lot of reasons for why that occurred in the win. He took responsibility by not getting his team ready to play, while also thinking they may have been overlooking the Hornets and getting ready for Big Ten play.

Penn State struggled from beyond the arc for the second game in a row, shooting 9-of-36 from deep in the win. Shrewsberry liked the looks they were getting, but wanted more from his offense early in the game.

“We took the bait,” Shrewsberry said. “They played a zone, so we were going to take the very first shot that we could get, which you can probably get at any point in time.”

Transfer guard Andrew Funk led the way for the Nittany Lions from behind the arc, knocking down four 3-pointers. Funk thought the Hornets had a great defensive game plan that confused the Nittany Lions offense.

“Credit to them, I thought they changed defenses a lot which kind of threw us off,” Funk said. “I think we need to be more mature and more poised with getting good [shots] on offense.”

The Nittany Lions rely heavily on the deep ball for their offensive production, and the struggles only allowed them to score 60 points in the game, nearly 17 points under their average. Shrewsberry also felt like they passed up multiple layup opportunities looking to kick out to shooters instead of scoring inside.

On the positive side of things, the Nittany Lions saw the return of senior forward Seth Lundy in the win. Lundy scored a team-high 15 points and secured a double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds for the blue and white.

Lundy was absent from the win against Quinnipiac due to an injury suffered against Canisius, but was able to return and play a huge role for the team. Lundy felt comfortable on his ankle, and was able to play confidently and big for the Nittany Lions.

“I feel good,” Lundy said. “I mean, it was not a pretty win for us, but I felt good on the ankle.”

Lundy is inching closer to 100% as non-conference play comes to a close with the win. The Nittany Lions were far from their best in the win over Delaware State, but were able to find a way to win by relying on their defense for a majority of the game.

Penn State returns to action on New Year’s Day as the blue and white open up their full slate of conference games at home against Iowa.

Adam Sheetz is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ads360@psu.edu.

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Adam Sheetz

Junior / Broadcast Journalism

Adam Sheetz is a third year student from Reedsville, Pennsylvania majoring in broadcast journalism. He has been a broadcaster for WCHX 105.5 FM in Mifflin County covering high school sports. He has also been a member of CommRadio since his first semester at Penn State, being involved in both the Arts and Sports departments. Adam has extensive experience in a play-by-play setting within CommRadio, covering football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and volleyball for the station. He has done written content for CommRadio ranging from Penn State football articles all the way to discussing Disney Channel movies. To contact Adam, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).