UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Down 16 with nine minutes remaining in regulation, the Penn State men's basketball team (5-0) used a 16-2 run over the final 5:38 to come from behind and defeat Yale, 58-56, Saturday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center. Sophomore guard Izaiah Brockington scored 13 of his team-best 15 points in the second half and had a key steal in the final 32 seconds.
Guards Curtis Jones Jr. and Myles Dread drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the Nittany Lions within one, 56-55 at the 1:41 mark and then Dread's fast break trey gave Penn State its only lead of the contest at 58-56 with 56 seconds left.
Senior forward Lamar Stevens helped set up the Nittany Lions' go-ahead 3-pointer with a second critical block and then defensive rebound. Dread moved the ball ahead to Curtis Jones Jr., who fed it back to him for the triple on the right wing for the final margin.
"What an incredible game," said Penn State men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers. "…The ball just wasn't going in, but that's how we're built, we're built on defending and rebounding. We talked about it in practice all of the time – there are going to be nights, there are going to be days on the road or at home where you're not making shots. And obviously that was the case today, but our team really was resilient, they persevered."
Stevens connected on four field goals to propel Penn State back into the game as the Nittany Lions were down 56-46 with 4:09 remaining. His efforts leading on both sides of the floor saw four rebounds and two blocks.
Can't stop the Climb. @PennStateMBB pulls off the huge comeback against Yale! Full highlights here: pic.twitter.com/ilmpYgQ1GU
— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) November 23, 2019
The Nittany Lions' exceptional defensive effort held Yale scoreless the final 3:54 of the game and Stevens' first block and fast break layup sparked the team's comeback. Penn State picked up nine points on nine Bulldog second-half turnovers.
With his career-best 13 rebounds on the night, Stevens eclipsed the 700-career rebound mark and became one of only four Nittany Lions with at least 1500 points and 700 rebounds, joining Jesse Arnelle, Jamelle Cornley and Geary Claxton.
Might just as well call him Superman... Stevens w/career best-13 and eclipses 700 career rebound mark!🔵🦁⚪ #ClimbWithUs pic.twitter.com/ui7gteZoIi
— Penn State Men's Basketball (@PennStateMBB) November 23, 2019
Stevens and Dread both added 13 points for the fifth-straight game with at least three Nittany Lions in double figures. Stevens finished with three blocks on his stat line along with three assists. Myreon Jones and Jamari Wheeler each had four steals, marking a career high for Myreon Jones.
Penn State managed nine field goals in the first half and was 9-33 (27.3%) from the field with one 3-pointer on 13 attempts from behind the line. The Nittany Lions improved to 38.9 percent (14-36) in the second stanza for a 33.3 field goal percentage overall.
Yale shot 43.1 percent for the game and made nine 3-pointers, but went 0-5 from the free throw line for the game and was 0-3 in the final 3:54 while Penn State went 5-5 in the second half.
Azar Swain had a game-high 23 points for Yale and Jordan Bruner had nine rebounds, all defensive, for the Bulldogs.
Penn State continues the NIT Season Tip-Off next week at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Nittany Lions will first face Ole Miss on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.
For more information about single-game tickets or the mobile flex plan for men's basketball, visit the online ticket information page or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Keep up to date with the latest information from Coach Chambers and the Nittany Lions on Twitter by following @Coach_Chambers and @PennStateMBB, on Facebook and Instagram at @PennStateMBB.
GAME NOTES
Full postgame notes: https://gopsusports.com/news/2019/11/23/mens-basketball-postgame-notes-vs-yale-nov-23-2019.aspx
- The Nittany Lions last opened a season with a 5-0 record in 2017-18 and have had 5-0 starts seven times in the Big Ten era.
- The 58 points marks the lowest scoring game for the Nittany Lions in 2019-20 and first time they have won a game scoring less than 60 points since Feb. 4, 2019 vs. Northwestern (59-52).
- Penn State overcame a 16-point deficit (2H-9:12) to win the game. The Nittany Lions last erased a double-digit lead after trailing Temple by 11 (3Q-3:50) in an NIT game on March 14, 2018.
- Senior forward Lamar Stevens eclipsed the 700-career rebound mark and recorded his career best with 13 rebounds vs. Yale. He becomes only the fourth Nittany Lion to score 1500 points with 700 rebounds, joining Jesse Arnelle, Jamelle Cornley and Geary Claxton with those milestone career numbers.
- Lamar Stevens achieved first double-double of 2019-20 with 13 points and 13 rebounds vs. Yale for the 12th double-double of his career.