Just 14 seconds into regulation Penn State freshman Josh Reaves stole the ball and raced down the court, dunking it emphatically and in turn starting off his highly anticipated collegiate career in style and with a 62-50 Penn State win.
While Penn State opened the scoring, it was a VMI that took an early 12-4 lead just minutes into regulation. A team not afraid to shoot from long range, VMI shot 22 from three, making two of those in the game’s opening five minutes.
Down 12-4, sophomore Shep Garner’s long three of his own cut into the deficit and started an eventual 25-12 run to close out the first half. Seven different Nittany Lions scoring in the first 20 minutes of play with Brandon Taylor setting the pace with eight points, four of which came from the free throw line. The Nittany Lions used their size and strength to their advantage, working multiple players in the post with their backs to the basket.
“I thought it was a great win for us,” Garner said after the game. “Coming out in our first game, we wanted to get a win under our belts, you know, play hard, and that’s what we did tonight. I felt like it was a great team win for us. VMI is a great team. They went out and played hard like we knew they would, and they gave us a fight. That’s what we wanted for our first game. It was great.”
Reaves continued to impress in his debut with two first half steals, three blocks and four points. His best moment on his second steal and transition basket as he stepped past a defender and layed the ball into the hoop.
Penn State shot 42% from the field in the first half but just 1-of-7 from deep. Defensively the Nittany Lions help VMI to 30% shooting with 12 points behind the arc.
It was the second half though that the Nittany Lions truly dominated in the opening phases. Length and athleticism proving to be too much for VMI to handle. Penn State held its opponent to just 16 total points in just over 25 minutes of play. Between stifling defense and timely shotmaking, Penn State saw its halftime lead ballon to a 20-point margin with 7:58 to go in regulation.
VMI cut into that lead as Penn State took its foot off the gas but never got within single digits in the game’s final minutes. And truly the Nittany Lions were never in danger of losing a comfortable lead late in the game.
Penn State finished the game with five players registering five or more rebounds and three players in double figures. Payton Banks lived up to his preseason hype from coach Pat Chambers with a 12 point, six rebound effort. The Nittany Lions, despite their youth, turned the ball over just nine times all game while forcing 14.
Shep Garner lead Penn State with 15 points and Brandon Taylor chipped in 12 more. The Nittany Lions’ eventual 5-of-19 mark from behind the arc equal parts poor shooting and late enthusiastic attempts by Isaiah Washington and Payton Banks. Reaves finished his debut with six points, five bounds, three blocks and two steals.
While far from a perfect performance it had a little bit of everything fans could have expected. Good defense from a defense first program, flashes of great plays from young talent and the occasional sloppiness of early season play.
Penn State will be back in action this Tuesday at 5 PM against DePaul.
