Penn State erased a 10-point second half deficit with 5:28 to go to force overtime at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon before falling in the extra frame to Georgia Tech 82-81.
The game was decided by many things, but turned on a controversial foul called with two seconds to go in overtime to give Georgia Tech two free throws down just a point. Both were made and the rest was history. Penn State has some issues that it may or may not be able to overcome this season but the Nittany Lions are also full of fight, and they’ll need it where the schedule is headed. The ball call included, here are five observations from Penn State’s loss.
Boarding Problems: It doesn’t come as a shock at this point that Penn State is going to struggle on the glass but the Nittany Lions going -22 on the boards isn’t exactly a thing you can overlook even if it isn’t a surprise. Penn State gave up 20 offensive boards while hauling down 14 of its own. The final few minutes of regulation helped these numbers a bit but in spite of being so lopsided in the rebounding department Georgia Tech’s 24 second-chance points were only four more than Penn State’s. It’s safe to say that Penn State had its chances to win in spite of the rebounding issues but it’s also safe to say that Penn State would be a much better team if it could get a more even distribution of the available rebounds. Kanye Clary had seven to his name, Qudus Wahab had 10 and everyone else was mostly a no-show in this department.
Pressure Cooker: Penn State’s full-court pressure worked its magic in the game’s final minutes as the Nittany Lions cranked out a 13-3 run in the final 5:28 to roar back in the second half from a double-digit deficit for the second straight game. Penn State — mainly Ace Baldwin — forced turnovers and created an uncomfortable environment for Georgia Tech the entire time and it showed. It will be interesting to see how the Big Ten handles Penn State’s willingness to pressure so far up the court but it was the perfect button to push in the moment on Saturday. Penn State was credited with 13 steals on Saturday and scored 27 points off of them. Can’t argue with that, especially in a world where Penn State isn’t always going to be the hottest shooting team.
Downhill: Ace Baldwin did a lot of things right on Saturday and his 18 points, four steals and seven assists showcase that. All of that being said, Baldwin settling for a three in the final possession of regulation in a tie game seemed like five percent more hero-ball than what Penn State needed. Baldwin can get to the rim, and even on a day when he missed both of his free throws he would have only needed to hit one for the win. If Georgia Tech can win on a phantom foul, no reason Penn State can’t win because of a real one. Threes are nice, but free throws and a win are better. Go downhill.
Phantom Foul: Penn State could have done enough things better on Saturday to win the game on its own. That being said, the foul called with two seconds to go in overtime that sent Georgia Tech to the line to win the game wasn’t a foul. Officiating isn’t an easy endeavor and the game has some degree of human error to it, but if that call doesn’t happen Penn State wins. Simple as that. Can’t leave the game up to the officials, but it’s good to put the above fact on the public record.
Something To Work With: D’Marco Dunn has scored 15+ in each of the past two games and even a 3-for-7 clip from beyond the arc is a welcome bit of consistency for a team that has not shot the ball well from deep. Penn State actually did a bit better than usual on Saturday going 12-for-33 and Puff Johnson was credited for 12 of those attempts and three of those makes. If Dunn can continue to be a scoring threat he will pair nicely with what Clary [23 points] and Baldwin [18] have been able to do on a night basis. If this team can’t get rebounds it may as well hit its shots instead.
