Penn State welcomed No. 9 Michigan State to the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday afternoon for its first home game in conference play.
With many students already home for break and a healthy contingent of Spartan fans making the trip, the crowd was split. Ultimately those in green had a little more to cheer for, surviving a scare with a 76-72 win.
“It was a great battle, they just had a little more poise down the stretch than we did, made a couple more plays than we did and finished,” head coach Mike Rhoades said after the game.
How it happened:
Penn State fell into an early 9-2 hole, with its only points coming from a Kayden Mingo put-back off his own missed jumper.
The Nittany Lions started 0-for-6 from deep, while Michigan State drained its first two triples, taking a 17-8 lead.
Freddie Dilione V ended the drought with a 3-pointer, which sparked a 23-5 run to take the lead and ignite the Penn State fans, clad in their matching white giveaway T-shirts. Ivan Jurič — who sprained his ankle and left practice on crutches the day before — was responsible for seven consecutive points during the stretch.
“The energy was definitely felt, and it helps us out a lot,” Mingo said.
The Spartans began pressing, shooting before setting up plays and turning the ball over, allowing the Nittany Lions to mount a 31-22 advantage. Michigan State settled back in to stop the bleeding, Penn State took a 39-36 edge into halftime.
Mingo had a poor half shooting (3-for-9), but contributed a team-leading five rebounds and four assists.
“The main thing we were focusing on was physicality, being physical,” Mingo said.
The Spartans retook the lead minutes into the second frame off five straight points from Divine Ugochukwu and never looked back, building a 51-41 lead.
The Nittany Lions didn’t go away quietly. A bucket from Mingo jump-started another run, including back-to-back triples from Jurič and Dilione to regain the lead.
A gritty battle ensued, with neither team surrendering much ground while the foul count grew for both sides. Dilione came up with clutch buckets and hit a pair from the stripe to give Penn State a 67-64 lead.
The Spartans staved off the attack and produced a 5-0 run to go ahead 69-67. Though Dilione scored five more points to set a season high with under a minute left, Michigan State free throws salted the game away.
“I thought (Penn State) outplayed us most of the way, and we found a way to win,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “This is gonna be a good team this year and a really good team in the future.”
Team leaders:
Points: Freddie Dilione V, 23
Rebounds: Kayden Mingo, 7
Assists: Kayden Mingo, 7
Up next: Penn State will face in-state rival Pitt at the GIANT Center in Hershey. Tipoff is scheduled for noon on Dec. 21.
