Three takeaways from Penn State basketball's upset of No. 19 Michigan State

Penn State Nittany Lions basketball rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to upset No. 19 Michigan State at the Bryce Jordan Center, 62-58.

Let’s get into some takeaways from the victory.

A pace fit for the Nittany Lions

To some extent, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo knew what he was in for.

As he pointed out, the Nittany Lions had played tough opposition close all season. Eventually, he told Micah Shrewsberry before the game, Penn State would succeed in grinding one out.

He just hoped that breakthrough didn’t come against his Spartans.

Unfortunately for Izzo, it did.

Slow and steady — Penn State’s mentality all season — won the race. The Spartans got only 61 possessions, compared to the first contest between these two teams in East Lansing, which was played at a decidedly quicker pace.

“We got the game how we wanted it,” Micah Shrewsberry said.

The Nittany Lions asserted themselves, and their style. And they reaped the rewards.

“We made it a half-court game,” Shrewsberry said, “and made every possession be magnified.”

Penn State showcases surprise bounce back ability

Julius Marble connected from inside the paint with 13:20 left in the game to give Michigan State a 14-point lead.

At that juncture, it looked like game over. Nobody can doubt the heart in this Penn State team, but a 14-point deficit against one of the Big Ten’s top teams surely seemed too much to overcome considering the Nittany Lions’ offensive issues.

Enter Sam Sessoms, who created havoc with his ability to drive the ball in the second half. Sessoms connected from beyond the arc on the ensuing possession, then scored a layup to pull the Lions back within 10. On the next trip down the floor, Myles Dread hit a three. With 10:13 left, Seth Lundy connected on another deep ball to cut the deficit to three.

Game on.

Penn State hung around from there, taking its first lead of the second half on a big Lundy jumper with a hand in his face with 1:37 to go, and never trailed again.

“There’s no 14-point shot,” Shrewsberry said. “But everything gets magnified. I think every defensive possession gets magnified, every offensive possession gets magnified. We finished with two turnovers in the second half, so we were maximizing the shots that we were going to get.

“And luck was with us.”

It was the exhibition in late-game offense that the Nittany Lions have almost always lacked in similar situations.

With a chance of collecting a big win as the clock wound down, the Nittany Lions found themselves in a familiar spot.

This time, they didn’t let their opportunity go to waste.

Penn State wrestling finale, transfer portal update: BWI Daily

Have a game, John Harrar

There is no limit to the physical punishment John Harrar is willing to endure in order to win a basketball game.

Harrar will scratch. He will claw. He will do whatever it takes. Take your cliche of choice and insert it here — if it’s about trying hard, it applies to John Harrar.

Matched up with a 6-foot-11 opposite number in Marcus Bingham, Harrar came down with 16 rebounds — a new career-high. Six of those came on the offensive glass, helping the Nittany Lions secure 15 valuable second-chance points.

“He was in there battling by himself,” Shrewsberry said. “We sent four guys back in transition. We could do that because there wasn’t a fear of John not sprinting back on defense every single time. He was going to go as hard as possible, and run back as hard as he needs to.

“Sixteen rebounds is really impressive. They have a bunch of really good players at the five and they threw all of those guys at him and he just kept going and going and going.”

Harrar chipped in 16 points of his own, including an emphatic and-one with 35 seconds remaining to extend Penn State’s lead to four.

“Coach was saying in the locker room, we earned this moment,” Harrar said. “We deserved this win.”