UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team shot 68 percent from the field in the second half to pull away for a 76-65 wire-to-wire win over Nebraska Saturday afternoon inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
Andrew Funk dominated the first half for the Nittany Lions, scoring 16 of his game-high 23 points in the opening frame. The Cornhuskers tied the game with a 10-4 run out of halftime, but the Nittany Lions responded immediately and made 16 of their final 21 shots to pull away for the double-digit win.
Funk drilled five 3-pointers, including his 250th career triple, en route to his game-high 23 points. Seth Lundy (16 points) and Jalen Pickett (12 points) joined Funk in double figures. Pickett added a game-high 13 rebounds and five assists to collect his sixth double-double of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Nittany Lions exploded out of the gates with 10 points in the first 2:16, including two triples for Andrew Funk and one for Seth Lundy. Funk was fouled on his first three-point make of the game and converted the four-point play as the Nittany Lions roared to a 10-0 lead out of the gates.
- The Huskers scored the next eight points to pull within 10-8 before Penn State's defense clamped down and the Nittany Lions allowed just four Nebraska field goals in the remainder of the half.
- Back-to-back triples from Dallion Johnson sparked an 11-6 Penn State run over the final 4:14 of the half as the Nittany Lions took a 29-23 advantage into the locker room.
- Nebraska knotted the score at 33 just over three minutes into the second half before Lundy immediately answered with a 3-pointer that sparked a strong Penn State response. Penn State went 7-for-9 from the field as Lundy scored eight and Pickett added six and to put together a 19-8 Nittany Lion run and pull ahead 52-41 with 11:52 to play.
- Eleven points from Nebraska's Keisei Tominaga fueled a 13-5 Nebraska streak over the next 3:35 as the Huskers narrowed the gap down to three at 57-54 with 8:17 left the clock.
- Funk had a pair of driving layups to help the Nittany Lions respond with the next five points. Penn State pulled away from there, making seven of its final nine shots from the field for the 76-65 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Penn State improves to 10-1 inside the Bryce Jordan Center this season.
- Penn State never trailed in the wire-to-wire victory. It marks the second time this season that the Nittany Lions didn't face a deficit during a game (Delaware State, Dec. 29).
- The Nittany Lions shot 68 percent (17-25) from the field in the second half compared to their 33 percent (10-30) clip in the opening half.
- Penn State held a 10-0 edge in fast break points.
- Andrew Funk reached the 250 career 3-pointer milestone and now sits at 251. He finished 5-for-10 from deep, marking his sixth game this season with five or more 3-pointers.
- Seth Lundy notched his 16th double-digit scoring effort of the season.
- Pickett recorded his second-straight double-double and sixth double-double of the season. He added a team-best five assists.
- Freshman Kanye Clary played a career-high 19 minutes and finished with six points, three rebounds, three assists and a +10 rating.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry
Andrew Funk and Kanye Clary
UP NEXT
- Penn State is back on the road Tuesday night to take on #23 Rutgers at 6:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
The 2022-23 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.