Penn State Men’s Basketball Game Grades: Minnesota
Penn State kept the momentum rolling Thursday afternoon, splitting the season series with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a 67-46 decision.
Penn State was coming off an upset win against 19th-ranked Michigan State in the Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday evening, and the momentum carried over to help pave the way in a revenge game.
The Nittany Lions dropped last Saturday night’s primetime matchup to the Golden Gophers, 76-70.
In a season where the Nittany Lions have struggled to win games due to slow starts, the offense was hot out of the gate and didn’t look back.
Here’s a look at the grades from Thursday afternoon’s win.
Offense: B
Penn State entered this game averaging 65.1 points per game, so it managed to reach a little above that mark. There were several impressive performances all around, most notably coming from Myles Dread.
Dread’s production so far this season has been anything but stellar, but the 6-foot-1, 235-pound senior guard stepped up against the maroon and gold. Dread finished 5-for-6 from the field, as well as 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Jalen Pickett led all Nittany Lions in scoring, as he recorded 20 points, followed by Dread with 12, John Harrar with 10 and Dallion Johnson with eight. Although Seth Lundy finished with three, his defense was what he is most commended for.
Overall, the blue and white finished 28-for-52 from the field for 53.8% and hit 50% of its 3-pointers.
The offensive production started early, as the Nittany Lions quickly jumped out to a 16-5 lead with 10:49 to play in the first half, something this team has not been familiar with this season.
Penn State’s largest lead was 27, but once the game got out of reach, Shrewsberry rightfully entered the second-string unit into the game, making the final score look better on Minnesota’s behalf.
Defense: A
Minnesota’s Jamison Battle looked to be a problem early, but fell ice cold in the second half.
Battle seemed like the only player to get off the bus for Minnesota, as he was the only one on the team who finished with points in the double-digits. Battle left with 16, Luke Loewe had eight, E.J. Stevens had seven and Eric Curry only had one.
The Penn State defense was bottomline exceptional, holding the Golden Gophers to 46 points, nearly 22 below their average of 67.6 on the season. The blue and white collected seven steals from Minnesota, all while conquering the rebound battle, 36-26.
Harrar recorded 10 rebounds with the help of Dread who racked up six. As a team, the Nittany Lions had five blocks and forced eight total turnovers throughout the entirety of the game.
Minnesota could’ve used better production from its experienced lineup, but its shooting was poor all game, especially in the second half. Minnesota finished a putrid 32.1% from the field, and connected with only 7 of its 19 3-pointers.
Saturday night was a distant memory, as the big win against the Spartans helped propel a 21-point onslaught against Minnesota.
Coaching: A
Coach Micah Shrewsberry comes off as a friendly, high-spirited, humorous coach, but when it comes down to gametime, Shrewsberry flips the switch.
This season has been inconsistent, but Shrewsberry has to be proud of what his team has accomplished and endured. After transfers from multiple former starters, nobody knew what to expect from the team this year.
Now sitting at 11-12, and tournament season rapidly approaching, the Nittany Lions have an arguably undemanding schedule the remainder of the season.
Shrewsberry is looking to lead his team in the right direction for the duration of the season, to comfortably prepare for the Big Ten Tournament and maybe place in the NIL.
This team is still a way away from competing with the best in the country, but the future's looking bright for blue and white on the hardwood, all with Shrewsberry changing the charisma and implementing a new mindset for his squad.
Connor Fenix is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cjf5726@psu.edu.
