Meaningless Game Turns Into Historic 1-on-1 Duel in Penn State vs. Nebraska

Story posted February 24, 2021 in

The Penn State Nittany Lions finally ended their four-game losing streak and got their revenge on Nebraska in the process. Despite both Penn State and Nebraska seeing little chance to make the tournament come March, the Feb. 23 game between the two still found a way to make history.

In the loss, Nebraska’s Teddy Allen went nuclear, finishing the game with 41 points on great efficiency as he left it all on the line for the Cornhuskers. Before the matchup, Allen led the team in scoring as he averaged 16.5 points per game; that number soared up to 17.8 following Tuesday’s near-immaculate performance.

Allen was largely responsible for the teams’ first conference win of the season which came against Penn State a few weeks ago. He hit the game-winning layup with 11 seconds to go in the prior matchup. From a personal standpoint, he clearly topped that moment, setting a career high in the first half alone and breaking a school record for most points in one half with 28.

Dueling alongside him was Penn State’s Myreon Jones. Like Allen, Jones came into this game leading his team in points per game with 14.9—a number that would jump to 15.6 by the end of the night. Although he didn’t reach quite the numbers that Allen did, Jones was still the main reason why the Nittany Lions won this game.

Jones scored 29 points, 17 coming in the first half. Like Allen, Jones would set a career high. He helped give Penn State a big lead early, playing his best ball from beyond the arc. Jones hit six 3’s in the game—the same amount that Allen had. Jones was also much more efficient than his recent self from deep, hitting half of the triples he took.

Without having to look at the stats much, it’s easy to say Allen won the battle. He beat Jones in points by a wide margin but was also involved in other parts of the game. Allen recorded eight rebounds and six assists, both of which were the highest totals on the team. Jones would only record one in each stat.

Allen would only sit on the bench for just two minutes all night, as his Cornhuskers needed every last ounce of his effort to stay in that game. It almost worked. His team fought back despite trailing by 10 late, and the Cornhuskers had a chance to tie, but they failed after a missed 3-pointer from Trey McGowens.

Despite the stat battle Allen won during the game, it wasn’t enough to win the war, as Jones and the Nittany Lions left Lincoln with the victory.

 

Logan Bourandas is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.