UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team used a hot-shooting second half to turn a seven-point second-half deficit into a seven-point win in a 67-60 victory over Northwestern Friday night on Senior Night at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The tightly-contested contest saw 13 lead changes before a layup from senior Jalen Pickett with 4:30 left to play gave the Nittany Lions a lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the way.
Dallion Johnson's 15 points, including five 3-pointers, and John Harrar's 20 rebounds were all career-highs that served as catalysts for Penn State's third victory in its last four games. Harrar added 11 points to cap off his fourth-straight double-double.
Penn State shot 60.9 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from deep in the second half, with Johnson knocking down all five of his threes in the period. Seniors Myles Dread and Sam Sessoms, as well as junior Seth Lundy, all contributed to the second-half onslaught.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Wildcats were four for their first six fom the floor and jumped out to an early 9-5 lead but an and-one bucket from graduate student John Harrar brought the score to 9-7 entering the first media timeout of the half.
- Sessoms scored all eight Nittany Lion points following the pause, including two treys, but the Wildcats kept pace and the game entered the under-12 break knotted at 15.
- Lundy knocked down two free throws at the 8:51 mark to pull the Nittany Lions within one of the Wildcats. He followed that up with a huge corner three on a dish from Dread two minutes later to give Penn State a 20-18 advantage.
- Penn State's defense carried it for the remainder of the first half. The Nittany Lions broke an 0-for-9 streak with 1:28 left in the half when Harrar pulled down his tenth rebound of the half and put it right back up for a score. Penn State couldn't get another shot to fall, though, and went into the locker room at the half down 28-22.
- Harrar exploded out of the gates for the Nittany Lions, scoring five points in the first 2:20 of the half, highlighted by an emphatic jam and a patented second-chance layup.
- The Nittany Lions caught fire, hitting four shots in a row, including 3-pointers from Johnson and Dread, to take a 40-37 lead over the Wildcats with 13:01 left to play.
- Following a big 3-pointer from Lundy, the Wildcats went on a 7-0 run that led right into the under-8 break, reclaiming the lead from Penn State in the process.
- The Nittany Lions continued to make it rain from deep in the second half as Johnson knocked down back-to-back triples to take a 49-48 lead and force a Northwestern timeout with 5:16 to play.
- Following a couple of Wildcat free throws, Penn State exploded on an 11-0 run and as Harrar continued to pull in boards and treys from Dread, Johnson, and Sessoms increased the Nittany Lion lead to 10 with 1:15 to play.
- Northwestern clawed back within four, but the Nittany Lion defense held fast and secured the 67-60 senior night win.
GAME NOTES
- Penn State completed its season sweep against Northwestern after earning a 67-60 victory tonight and a 74-70 win in Evanston on Jan. 5. It's Penn State's first regular-season sweep of the Wildcats since 2011.
- The Nittany Lions improve to 10-4 in the Bryce Jordan Center this season, with one more contest left at home on Sunday at 7 p.m.
- Penn State held Northwestern to just 60 points, 18.3 under their season scoring average. The Nittany Lions have now held 16 of their last 22 opponents to ten or more points under their averages.
- Five Nittany Lions finished in double figures for the first time since Jan. 31's win over Iowa.
- Harrar is the first Nittany Lion in 17 years to record a 20-rebound game. The last Penn State player to pull down 20 or more boards in a game was Aaron Johnson (21) vs. Northwestern on Jan. 22, 2005.
- Dread moved into sole possession of fifth place on Penn State's all-time 3-pointers made list. He's drilled 223 career threes.
- Johnson's five triples and 15 points were both career highs. He finished 5-for-9 from deep on the night.
- Pickett stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, six assists and five rebounds.
- Lundy notched his 16th double-digit scoring effort of the season, while Sessoms recorded his 15th.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry
Graduate student John Harrar and sophomore Dallion Johnson
UP NEXT
- Penn State hosts its final home game of the regular season Sunday night at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network when the Nittany Lions welcome Nebraska to the Bryce Jordan Center.
The 2021-22 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.