Nittany Lions Go Down to the Wire but Fall to Nebraska 62-61
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Nittany Lions fell to the Nebraska Cornhuskers 62-61 on Sunday, and for Penn State fans, this one just hurts.
The game started out well for the Nittany Lions, as they managed to hold the momentum for a majority of the first half. In fact, Penn State held the lead until the 1:48 mark when a Dalano Banton layup gave the Cornhuskers their first lead.
With the game tied at halftime, it was all Nebraska once the teams came back from the locker rooms. At one point, the Cornhuskers held an 11-point lead as they, up 60-49 with 8:45 to go.
Following that, a cold spell from the Cornhuskers allowed the Nittany Lions to claw at the lead. Despite nearly two minutes passing with no team making a shot, the Nittany Lions were able to tie the game off a Myreon Jones 3-pointer with less than two minutes to go. They took the lead off the free throw which followed the Jones score.
But the Cornhuskers chose the right moment to end the scoring drought. After the Nittany Lions missed three opportunities to increase their lead, Teddy Allen put Nebraska back up 62-61 with just 11 seconds left. Izaiah Brockington turned the ball over on the next possession, and the game ended with Penn State unable to foul in time.
This win puts the Nittany Lions in a difficult spot, as they are now on a two-game losing streak, are responsible for Nebraska’s first conference win of the season and will now have to play three ranked teams in a row. Interim head coach Jim Ferry knows this was a tough loss to take with March fast approaching.
“We got outplayed tonight,” Ferry said. “I thought we showed some character and some fight, [but] it’s disappointing.”
What we saw from Penn State offensively on Saturday was similar to what we’ve seen all season long: a heavy barrage of 3-pointers. The Nittany Lions tried 31 of them in the game, making only nine.
A majority of those 3s came from Myles Dread, who was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Seth Lundy. Dread made four triples and scored 14 points in the start tonight. The leading scorer on the team was Myreon Jones, who finished with 18 points on 20 shots.
The loss drops the Nittany Lions to 7-10 on the season with their NCAA Tournament hopes looking worse than ever. They’ll stay in the Bryce Jordan Center for their next matchup, as they welcome No. 4 Ohio State.
Logan Bourandas is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
