Penn State Basketball: Nittany Lions Fall To Three Point Beating, Fall 78-52 To Duquesne

For the first 18 or so minutes of regulation Penn State was a part of a basketball game. Both teams missing shots, both teams turning the ball over. Far from the most watchable contest, but a basketball game nevertheless.

But out of the pile Duquesne spurted out to an 11-point halftime lead seemingly in the blink of the eye. And from there the rest was history. A barrage of 17-three pointers turned the Nittany Lions’ third game of the season into a tape Penn State may watch just once before moving on to Tuesday’s game.

To his credit, senior Brandon Taylor did his job in the early going, a 5-of-7 first half performance and 12 points to show for it kept the Nittany Lions within reach. Shep Garner chipped in eight more in the first half by at the cost of 3-of-9 shooting that did little to improve Penn State’s struggling efficiency.

In the second half Penn State never stood a chance as Duquesne took advantage of missed defensive miscues and hot shooting to blow the game wide open from beyond the arc with 17-makes from deep. An offense that had been reasonably confident in the season’s opening two games looked disjointed as Penn State struggled to keep the game within reach.

The Nittany Lions drew the game a bit closer but never got below the 20-point margin before eventually losing 78-52. Duquesne scored 51 points from beyond the arc. Penn State finished with three players in double figures but Taylor only added two second half points while Garner and Payton Banks’ totals were largely inflated well after the game was decided. Penn State turned the ball over a season-high 14 times and shot 16 of 64 from the field.

Penn State falls to 2-1 on the year.