Penn State Men’s Basketball Games Grades vs. Northwestern
Penn State used momentum late in the second half to defeat the Northwestern Wildcats, 67-60, Friday evening in the Bryce Jordan Center.
It was Senior Night, and there couldn’t have been a better send off than to sweep the season series against the Wildcats.
The Nittany Lions won the first contest in Welsh Ryan Arena last month, 74-70.
Penn State’s record now sits at 12-13, and with only three games remaining, the Nittany Lions are looking to close out the season on a high note.
It was a gritty back-and-forth performance, but the Nittany Lions were able to take advantage of the momentum in the second half and didn’t look back.
Here’s a look at the grades from Friday’s senior night win.
Offense: B
Penn State came into Friday’s matchup averaging 65 points per game, and the offense found its spark in the second half.
Northwestern held a 28-22 lead heading into halftime, but the Nittany Lions received an unbelievable performance from Dallion Johnson in the second half.
Johnson led all Nittany Lions in scoring, as the 6-foot-3, 182-pound sophomore guard finished with an eye-opening 15 points. Seth Lundy picked up where he left off from the last meeting, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds. Sam Sessoms recorded 12, and John Harrar and Jalen Pickett had 11 apiece.
It wasn’t necessarily a slow start for the blue and white, but it wasn’t a fast one either. Penn State had 22 points in the first half compared with a whopping 45 in the second.
Penn State was once 7-for-26 on field goals in the contest, but ultimately finished 22-for-53 for 41.5% from the field and 13-for-33 for 39.4% from beyond the arc.
The Nittany Lions largest deficit was seven, but they never let Northwestern take control of the game and received clutch shots from Myles Dread. Dread picked up six points and recorded four rebounds.
The offense was brilliant, as the team collected 13 offensive rebounds throughout the entirety of the game.
It was a team effort, as five Nittany Lions were able to finish in double figures.
Defense: B
Penn State dominated Northwestern on the boards, as the Nittany Lions claimed the rebound battle, 45-29.
Northwestern entered the contest averaging 73.8 points per game, so the Nittany Lions did an excellent job holding it nearly 14 points below its season average.
Northwestern only had four turnovers in the contest, but its shooting wasn’t all that great. The Wildcats finished 22-for-60 for 36.7% from the field, and 7-for-22 for 31.8% from beyond the arc. Northwestern scored 28 points in the first half compared to 32 in the second.
Northwestern’s Pete Nance led the team in scoring, as the 6-foot-10 senior forward left Happy Valley with 12 points and four rebounds. Northwestern had three plates finish with double figures, as Chase Audige and Ty Berry both had 11 points.
The Nittany Lions defense did their job all game, as the offense was able to climb to a 60-50 lead with 1:23 to play.
Clock management and lockdown defensive performances were enough to help Penn State escape with this bitter-sweet victory.
Coaching: A
Coach Micah Shrewsberry has always spoken about the importance of success. Shrewsberry has seen a lot of success in his career as a coach, but Friday’s game has a different meaning to it.
The moment he came to Happy Valley, Shrewsberry was welcomed with open arms and quickly acclimated himself to the family tradition at Penn State.
Shrewsberry was able to see his lineup of determined and persistent seniors leave the court in the Bryce Jordan Center with a win. In a year that has been full of a lot of ups and downs, Shrewsberry has to be proud of the way his team performed Friday evening.
Although the Nittany Lions finished with 14 turnovers, a win is still a win. Penn State’s largest lead of the contest was 10 with 1:23 to play, but that was all Shrewsberry and the team needed to cruise to victory on senior night.
Shrewsberry has spoken heavily of his seniors and John Harrar in particular. Harrar was once part of a lineup who was destined to make the NCAA Tournament back in 2020, but was one of the few to remain in Happy Valley once Shrewsberry took over.
Harrar’s leadership has exceeded all expectations for this season, and Shrewsberry has commended him for the hard work he has shown on and off the court.
Penn State is now 12-13 overall and 7-10 in Big Ten play in Shrewsberry’s first year as coach, but the grit and tenacious mindset of his team this season is enough to be proud of despite all circumstances.
Penn State will play its final home game of the season on Sunday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Connor Fenix is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cjf5726@psu.edu.
