UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team earned a hard-fought 68-62 win over Butler in the Gavitt Tipoff Games to move to 3-0 on the season Monday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Senior+ guard Jalen Pickett recorded just the second triple-double in Penn State history, finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. It marks the first triple-double for a Nittany Lion since all-time great Calvin Booth had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks in the NIT at Dayton on March 16, 1998.
Penn State's defense set the tone for the victory as the Nittany Lions held Butler to a 34.3 percent (23-for-67) mark from the field and 21.7 percent (5-for-23) clip from 3-point range. The Nittany Lions out-rebounded the Bulldogs 40-36 and held a 30-24 edge in points in the paint.
Pickett led the Nittany Lions offensively, while senior guards Andrew Funk and Camren Wynter added 11 points apiece and Seth Lundy chipped in 10.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A 3-for-4 clip from 3-point range helped Penn State race out to a quick 15-4 lead seven minutes into the game.
- The Bulldogs answered with a 20-14 streak as Penn State went a bit cold and Butler trimmed the Nittany Lion advantage down to five at 29-24 with 2:12 left in the first half. Penn State scored four of the opening term's final six points as a put-back jumper from Wynter at the buzzer gave the Nittany Lions a 33-26 edge heading into the locker room.
- The Bulldogs started the second half 5-for-7 from the field to quickly tie the game at 38 less than five minutes into the term.
- The lead changed four times in the next 3:22, with neither team leading by more than two until Funk drained his third trey of the game to put the Nittany Lions up 48-44 at the 10:27 mark of the half.
- Penn State exploded on a 17-2 run over the next 5:11, going 7-for-9 from the field including a 3-for-4 effort from beyond the arc with makes by Pickett, Funk and Myles Dread.
- The Bulldogs would not go quietly, however, as they opened up a 13-2 scoring run of their own, cutting the Penn State lead to just five with 56.6 seconds remaining.
- An emphatic fast-break dunk by Lundy put Penn State up by seven, however Butler answered right back with a three-ball to cut the lead to just four with 28.6 seconds left.
- Clutch free throws by Wynter with 0:27 left sealed the deal for the Nittany Lions as Penn State earned the hard-fought 68-62 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Jalen Pickett recorded the second triple-double in Penn State history with 15 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. The only other Nittany Lion to accomplish the feat was Penn State all-time great Calvin Booth (19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks) on March 16, 1998, in an NIT game at Dayton.
- Pickett posted the first double-figure rebound game for a Nittany Lion this season with his 10 boards against the Bulldogs.
- The Nittany Lions are now shooting 44-for-92 (47.8%) from 3-point range through three games.
- Andrew Funk recorded his 200th career 3-pointer in the victory.
- Penn State is 3-0 for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
- The Nittany Lions are now 3-1 all-time in Gavitt Tipoff Games matchups.
- The Nittany Lions evened the all-time series with Butler at 2-2.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry
Senior+ guards Jalen Pickett and Andrew Funk
UP NEXT
- Penn State plays away from home for the first time this season when the Nittany Lions head to the Charleston Classic Thursday-Sunday. The three-game event begins Thursday with an 11:30 a.m. opening round matchup against Furman on ESPNU.
The 2022-23 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.