A brief survey of press row concludes you won’t find many Penn State wins like this over the past 10 years.
37% shooting from the field (24-for-64) a very odd night from the free throw line (11-for-23) and cold shooting from beyond the arc (5-for-18) all turned into a nearly 20-point win that felt more the part the 28-point first half than the 36-point second.
And yet, the Nittany Lions won with relative ease 64-49 over an Indiana team that has had a pretty similar season to Penn State. This wasn’t a bad game blowout against Northwestern, it was the Nittany Lions just being better, even if they weren’t being all that good.
Point being, Penn State won a game it has lost so many times before, and did so with less than its best. Words rarely said around these parts.
‘They didn’t allow missing shots affect their effort on the defense,’ coach Pat Chambers said after the game. ‘That’s something I’m going to praise and focus on. Because that, to me is everything. The fact that we rebounded tonight.
‘They’re one of the best rebounding teams, not only in the country, but number one or two in the Big 10. So, for us to be able to defend and rebound without fouling for the most part, I think is critical. And I’m going to say this again, I said it the other day to you guys. I still think we can get a lot better. We haven’t clicked on all cylinders, offensively and defensively, which really, you know, excites me to move forward here into February.’
It really was a night to talk defense. The Nittany Lions started the game with Jamari Wheeler forcing a turnover as Penn State badgered its way to 15 steals and Indiana coughed up the ball a total of 18 times. Despite a slogging first half that saw the teams tied at 28 heading into the break, there wasn’t much Indiana could do to combat a flustering Penn State defense. The question was, could the Nittany Lions hit their shots? If they did that, the rest would take care of itself.
The answer was a bit yes and no. The Hoosiers scored 21 second-half points, which set the bar fairly low for an off-and-on Penn State shooting performance. Lamar Stevens, battling a cold, scored 17 despite a horrific night from the line that included an air-balled free throw. Curtis Jones Jr. was effective for the second-straight game with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
As mentioned by Chambers himself, Penn State made key rebounds, trailing Indiana by just six boards while going even on the offensive end with 11 each. A 31-point effort off the bench also bolstered a Penn State offense looking for contributions on a cold night. Myles Dread answered the call with two from beyond the arc, the second coming after a near airball seconds earlier.
‘I was shouting for him to shoot it again, shoot it again,’ Chambers said.
In turn the second half was a slow but steady pulling away by a Penn State team now 11-1 on the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions made stops, enough shots and flustered Indiana with a pesky defense that left little room for any runs.
It wasn’t always pretty, but there’s something to be said about a team that can win without its best.
The win improves Penn State to 15-5 on the year and 5-4 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions travel to Nebraska next for a Saturday night meeting in Lincoln.
