COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Penn State men's basketball team dropped a tough 74-68 road battle at Maryland Saturday afternoon inside the Xfinity Center.
Penn State erased an early 11-point deficit to take a brief lead in the second half, but the Terrapins used a 16-5 run in a late seven-minute stretch to pull away.
Freshman Kanye Clary led five Nittany Lions in double figures with 17 points and didn't turn the ball over in 23 minutes of action. Jalen Pickett tallied 15 points, Andrew Funk had 14, and Seth Lundy and Myles Dread finished with 11 points apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Nittany Lions started cold, making just one of their first 10 shots, as Maryland was able to jump out to an 11-3 lead eight minutes into the game. The Terp lead reached 21-9 at the 7:22 mark before a Clary fast-break layup sparked Penn State's half-closing run.
- The Nittany Lions made eight of their final nine shots of the half, including 3-pointers from Funk, Dread and Lundy, as Penn State was able to pull within three of the Terrapins at 31-28 heading into the locker room.
- Pickett scored seven points in the first 1:53 of the second half as Penn State opened the term on a 7-1 run to take a 35-32 lead.
- Maryland answered right back with a 9-0 streak before Funk's third three of the night sparked another Nittany Lion spurt. Penn State held the Terps scoreless for over three minutes as the Nittany Lions pulled back within one at 43-42 with 11:49 to play.
- Penn State remained within one at 51-50 following a Lundy triple before Maryland strung together a 13-2 run over the next 6:17 to pull ahead 64-52 with under three minutes to play. The Nittany Lions were ice cold during the stretch, going 1-for-8 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range, until Funk nailed another triple at the 2:06 mark. Penn State fought all the way to the horn and ended the game on a 16-10 scoring run, but was unable to overcome the Terrapins, falling 74-68.
GAME NOTES
- The Nittany Lions owned a 28-8 advantage in bench points.
- Penn State had five players finish in double figures for the first time this season and the first time since Feb. 25, 2022 against Northwestern.
- The Nittany Lions shot over 50 percent from the field (27-53), including a 12-26 effort from downtown. Funk led Penn State with four triples, while Lundy and Dread chipped in three apiece.
- Kanye Clary finished with a career-high 17 points while adding two assists, a steal and a rebound. He didn't turn the ball over in his 23 minutes of action against the Maryland pressure.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry
UP NEXT
- Penn State returns home to host Illinois Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
The 2022-23 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.