Penn State Men’s Basketball Dominates Oregon State to Wrap Up Emerald Coast Classic

Photo by Samuel Brungo | Onward State

Penn State men’s basketball (4-2) took care of Oregon State (1-6) with a 60-45 win in the consolation game of the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday in Niceville, Florida.

Jalen Pickett led the way with 14 points and seven assists on the day. He and Jalanni White paced the Nittany Lions with seven rebounds.

How It Happened

It took a couple of minutes before either team could get settled offensively, but the Beavers scored the first basket of the game. Sam Sessoms quickly responded with a layup after not scoring until the second half of Friday night’s overtime loss against LSU.

Oregon State extended its lead to five points, but back-to-back threes from Pickett brought the Nittany Lions within one.

Bench players got a chance to shine for the Nittany Lions down the stretch. Dallion Johnson hit an open three and brought down two rebounds, and White scored on a nice put-back layup.

Seth Lundy started to get hot, scoring on two consecutive drives down low in the paint. On the next possession, Myles Dread was able to hit a second-chance three after Jaheam Cornwall missed one of his own. Johnson hit two three-pointers with under a minute left in the half, and the Nittany Lions went into halftime up 29-17.

John Harrar got the second half started with a tough layup, and Dread followed up with a big-time three that forced Oregon State to burn a timeout early in the second half. Dread would hit another three two minutes later, and despite there being little offense at the beginning of the second half, Penn State was in control.

Lundy got to the free-throw line and sank both. White then followed up with a put-back layup, and Lundy got a lucky roll to sink his first triple of the game. The Nittany Lions had an 18-point lead with just under 11 minutes left in the game.

It then became the Jalen Pickett show, as he scored eight consecutive points for the Nittany Lions. Those baskets included two last-second, shot-clock-beating threes, the second of those being from nearly half-court. Harrar got another layup to extend the lead, but the Beavers were not giving up. They went on a 9-0 run to start creeping back in the game.

A Dread three and Lundy dunk were the nails in the coffin that gave Penn State the 60-45 win over the Beavers.

Takeaways

Dallion Johnson had a team-high nine points in the first half, and that’s what he would finish with. He also grabbed three rebounds on the day. It was really nice to see him have a breakout game and even just some meaningful minutes on the court. If he can continue to build off this performance, he can develop into a key bench piece for the Nittany Lions.
Saturday’s effort seemed like a much more complete performance for Penn State. Everyone was contributing, whether it was by scoring or gathering rebounds. Every player that stepped on the court helped Penn State win this game, and that is a big stepping stone for future games later in the season.
It is good to know that even when John Harrar and Sam Sessoms have poor games, the Nittany Lions can find a way to win. Jalen Pickett was the leader in the points category with 14, and Myles Dread was finally getting some confidence back with 12 points, all of which came from behind the arc. It is a positive sign, but hopefully for Penn State, it isn’t a sign that Sessoms and Harrar will struggle moving forward.