Penn State basketball: Three takeaways from PSU's win over Rutgers

Penn State basketball won with defense on Tuesday night, besting Rutgers 66-49 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The victory moved the Nittany Lions to 8-6 on the season and 3-3 in conference play. Let’s dive into some takeaways from the contest.

1. Sam Sessoms has big night

Penn State guard Sam Sessoms emerged from a tough two-game stretch to make the difference Tuesday night.

Sessoms scored 17 points off the bench, a threat at the rim with his creative finishing and from beyond the arc, where he made all three of his attempts.

“That’s my emphasis from the coaching staff,” Sessoms said. “Coach Shrews tells me that when I get in, he wants me to just attack, look to score first.”

Sessoms played only seven minutes in Penn State’s loss to Purdue on Saturday. He did not score a point for the first time this season.

Sessoms said he wasn’t angry about his benching. He hadn’t given his best effort, he admitted.

Sunday and Monday were difficult days for Sessoms on the back of the disappointment, but Shrewsberry credited him for his ability to bounce back.

“Him playing [seven] minutes was the message,” Shrewsberry said. “You need to be on board with what we’re doing and playing as hard as possible. The video doesn’t lie.

“That says a lot about his character, who he is as a person, his resiliency, to just bounce back and play. He played with more force, he played with more pace, he was attacking the basket. We’re really hard to guard when both he and [guard Jalen]Pickett are playing like that at the same time.”

2. Lions shut down Rutgers weapons

Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr. entered Tuesday’s contest averaging 28.2 combined points per game. With a stellar defensive performance, the Nittany Lions cut that in half, with Harper and Baker each scoring seven points.

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Harper, Rutgers’ leading scorer at 16.3 points per contest, shot 2-9 from the field. Shrewsberry had said previously that his goal was to limit him to fewer points than field goal attempts, and the Nittany Lions accomplished that with two points to spare.

“Those two guys make them go,” Penn State big man John Harrar said. “We wanted other people to make plays.”

Shrewsberry singled out forward Seth Lundy for praise. Lundy guarded Harper all night, and the results speak for themselves.

“Whenever the season started, there probably wasn’t anybody in here that was waving the Seth Lundy all-defensive team flag,” Shrewsberry said. “Seth Lundy has guarded the best player, or one of the best players, on every single team this year.

“I thought he did an excellent job. He’s fighting. He’s making it tough on people. His athleticism, his length, his attention to detail — that attention to detail has really improved.

“Kudos to him, kudos to Jalen Pickett for guarding Geo Baker in the same way.”

3. Jevonnie Scott makes Penn State debut

Offseason transfer addition Jevonnie Scott got his first minutes in a blue and white uniform Tuesday.

Scott sat out the Nittany Lions’ first 13 games. At the beginning of the season, he wasn’t eligible to play or practice with Penn State while he worked to resolve eligibility issues with his transfer.

Scott became eligible to play well before the New Year, but Shrewsberry always expressed a desire to get him up to speed before giving him minutes.

He was deemed ready to go for Tuesday. Scott played five minutes, grabbing a rebound and contributing two points to the effort.

Shrewsberry, Sessoms and Harrar all expressed their joy postgame to see Scott out there, knowing this had been a difficult time for him.

Still, he had to earn his minutes.

“Jevonnie Scott doesn’t play tonight if he doesn’t go compete in practice,” Harrar said. “He’s been competing in practice. He’s been all over the glass, giving me trouble in practice.

“That’s why he got out there. And he did what he’s supposed to do. He has so much upside. I think Penn State basketball fans are really gonna like Jevonnie Scott for years to come.”