Penn State sticks to formula in 68-62 win over Butler: Instant Reaction
Penn State understood its Gavitt Tipoff Games tilt with Butler would be a litmus test. Hosting the Bulldogs Monday night at the Bryce Jordan Center, 40 minutes of basketball demonstrated as much.
Three games into the 2022-23 season, the test came back conclusive. The Nittany Lions can play.
Notching a 68-62 win, the Penn State improved to 3-0 and, in the process, demonstrated its formula is on point. Relying on 3-point shooting and its foundational defensive effort, the Nittany Lions are passing their early tests.
Here, taking an instant reaction look at the Nittany Lions’ win:
These boys can shoot
Butler provided more of a test than either of Penn State’s first two opponents of the season on the defensive end of the floor. Having broken the previous program record for made 3-pointers in a game, the Nittany Lions jumped out to one of the nation’s highest shooting percentages from beyond the arc (50.0, 8th) and converted 3s per game (17.0, No. 2)
Monday night, that stat came back down to earth; but, only slightly.
Connecting on 10-of-24 3-point attempts, including a stretch of key makes for Andrew Funk, Jalen Pickett, and Myles Dread in the second half, the Nittany Lions emerged from a 42-40 deficit with a 62-46 lead.
Manny Bates got his
Penn State understood Butler’s 6-11 big man would present a monster challenge to its undersized group. Leaving Caleb Dorsey and Kebba Njie to handle Bates, who notched 25 points and 12 rebounds in the Bulldogs’ opener against New Orleans a week ago, the object was to make him work for his points.
Bates had to do exactly that. Working in the post, the talented center made turnarounds and jump shots, hitting 8-of-12 shots from the floor for 16 points and 10 rebounds.
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Still, Penn State managed to prevent him from dominating on the offensive glass, the Bulldogs finishing with just 7 for the game (of which Bates had 4) and only 5 second chance points.
Pickett’s out-of-sorts triple-double
Penn State’s fifth-year point guard forced the issue at times in the second half. Running through a string of misses, Micah Shrewsberry pulled his star at the under-16 media timeout to recompose himself.
The move worked. And, subsequently, Pickett managed the program’s second all-time triple-double. He finished with 15 points (6-of-18), 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in the win, pacing the Nittany Lions with the playmaking and scoring he’s established for himself.
With the win, Penn State enters the Charleston Classic at 3-0 on the season. Play begins in the tournament on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. when the Nittany Lions face Furman. The winner will face the winner of Virginia Tech/Old Dominion on Friday.
