Second Half Comeback not Enough: Penn State falls to Virginia Tech
It was a tale of two halves in Charleston as Penn State dropped their first game after a 4-0 start to Virginia Tech, 61-59. The Nittany Lions trailed by as much as 16 in the first half, before a second half surge, before failing to convert on their final possession of the game.
Penn State has lived by the three point shot all season leading up to the game, averaging over 13 made three-pointers per game. Coach Shrewsberry’s squad got off to a very slow start from behind the arc, and shot a season-worst 36.7% from deep.
Along with the blue and white’s three-point shooting was the fact that the contribution was spread out between multiple different players.
That was not the case against the Hokies, as veterans Andrew Funk and Myles Dread combined for 10 of the 11 made three’s in the game.
Penn State’s slow start was highlighted by struggles at the forward position with junior Caleb Dorsey and freshman Kebba Njie both having tough starts to the game. These struggles led to Shrewsberry switching to five-guard sets with Myles Dread and freshman Evan Mahaffey carrying the load inside at the five position.
Mahaffey was a huge bright spot for the Nittany Lions in the second half, logging a season-high 16 minutes, with a team-high +10 rating. Shrewsberry stated in the preseason how Mahaffey could be a spark plug for this team, and he lived up to that label by playing hard defense and recording five rebounds.
With the small lineup, the Nittany Lions did sacrifice a lot of size in the middle, which the Hokies took advantage of. Virginia Tech scored 40 points in the paint, led by their two forwards Grant Basile and Justyn Mutts, who combined for 27 points.
The paint points by the Hokies helped mask their three-point struggles, as the Hokies shot a horrendous 15.8% from behind the arc. Sharpshooter Hunter Catoor just could not get going for Virginia Tech, shooting 1-5 from three-point range.
Even with the loss for the Nittany Lions, there are some positives to take away from the game for Shrewsberry’s team. A big takeaway was the way Penn State was able to get Bucknell transfer Andrew Funk back on track in the offense.
Funk started his tenure in the blue and white with a 22-point performance against Winthrop in the season opener, but has since struggled with tough games against Loyola (MD), Butler and Furman.
The big man got back on track with a huge 21-point performance against the Hokies, shooting 50% from the field. He kept the Nittany Lions afloat during a tough first half, scoring 13 of Penn State’s 29 first half points.
Funk is a vital piece to Shrewsberry’s squad, and getting him going in the game against the Hokies could be a great sign for the rest of season.
The Nittany Lions saw some positives, as well as some things to work on when they suit up on Sunday for the third-place game of the Charleston Classic. Penn State will take on the loser of Colorado State and Charleston at 6 p.m.
Adam Sheetz is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ads360@psu.edu.
