Penn State pushed past a shorthanded Minnesota team on Wednesday night in the opening round the Big Ten Tournament with a 60-51 victory over the Gophers. Due to player availability, Minnesota played its starting five for effectively the entire game, with EJ Stephens the only bench player subbed in during regulation – for a total of one minute.
In spite of the numbers advantage, Penn State still struggled in the first half on the offensive end of floor, having a hard time finding the bottom of the basket. Meanwhile, Minnesota managed to pull ahead for a late first half lead. The Nittany Lions reeled the Gophers back in to trail Minnesota by the score of 28-24 at the half.
Over the course of halftime, Penn State appeared to knock off any rust it may have had in the first half and played a much sharper game in the final 20 minutes. The Nittany Lions shot nearly 60% from the floor and turned the screws on an increasingly tired Minnesota team that struggled offensively, shooting just 37% from the floor by the end of the game.
Jalen Pickett led the way for Penn State with an efficient 9-for-14 shooting performance, rolling in 22 points with a variety of shots from all over the court. John Harrar was his usual dominant self on the glass with 12 rebounds as Penn State won the battle on the boards 37-26. Sam Sessoms was really the only other Penn State player of note with 14 points to his name coming off the bench.
By the end of the night Penn State had outscored Minnesota 36-23 in the second half and saw a fairly drama free final minutes as free throws and made baskets turned a once close game into an 11-point lead, long erasing Minnesota’s own once seven-point lead in the first half.
Penn State will now face Ohio State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament at approximately 9 p.m. EST on the Big Ten Network. The Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions in each of their regular season meetings.
