How Penn State Corrected Course Vs. Indiana

'It was now or never,' coach Micah Shrewsberry said of the Lions' turning-point victory over the Hoosiers.

After calling out his team Sunday in Philadelphia, Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry delivered final notice at practice Monday. He and assistant coach Mike Farrelly put a ball and five scout-team defenders on the floor for a walkthrough. The remaining players would decide the other five.

"We told everybody else, 'We don’t know who’s starting [Wednesday against Indiana] and we don’t know who’s playing,'" Shrewsberry said. "You guys are going to tell me the next two days."

The Lions responded with one of their best games this season, an 85-66 Big Ten win over Indiana before a hungry crowd at the Bryce Jordan Center. The 19-point margin was Penn State's largest ever against Indiana in a game it led for more than 30 minutes.

Penn State (12-5, 3-3 Big Ten) ended a two-game losing streak by tying a school-record with 18 3-pointers. Seth Lundy and Andrew Funk made seven each, and Lundy, with a season-high 25 points, became the 39th player in Penn State history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.

More importantly, the Lions turned Shrewsberry's Sunday brimstone into something positive. The coach repeatedly pronounced himself frustrated after Penn State's 76-63 loss to then-No. 1 Purdue at the Palestra. In particular, Shrewsberry didn't think the Lions played tough enough, particularly during a second half in which the Boilermakers outscored them by 19 points.

Shrewsberry was so discouraged that he apologized to the city of Philadelphia for his team's performance.

"We’ve got to play better for the fans here; that’s why I’m disappointed," Shrewsberry said. "I thought in the first half we played with the toughness that we needed, that represented Philadelphia, that represented Penn State and who we want to be as a program. And then we didn’t have that same fight. We didn't play with that same toughness."

That led to two days of practice where the Lions restored their toughness. Shrewsberry saw a team recapturing some of the grit with which it had played in better moments this season.

"How we competed in practice is how we played tonight," Shrewsberry said. "I'm so proud of our guys ... and the resolve they played with. ... We haven't played like that in a long time."

Particularly on defense. The Lions were no match for Purdue center Zach Edey, who scored 30 points Sunday. But they held Indiana to 66 points, 15 below its season average, and leading scorer Trayce Jackson-Davis to 14 on 4-for-10 shooting.

That was important to Shrewsberry, who admits to monitoring the Ken Pomeroy rankings. When he saw Penn State had fallen to 85th in Pomeroy's adjusted defensive efficiency metric, Shrewsberry had enough.

"You talk about some things that are unacceptable? That was unacceptable," Shrewsberry said. "... We had to get back to guarding, had to get back to being aggressive, had to get back to being physical. It was now or never."

Penn State gets five days off ("which are about as welcome as they come," Shrewsberry said) before visiting Wisconsin on Tuesday.

Noteworthy

• Penn State shot 58.1 percent from 3-point range, its third game this season above 50 percent.
• The Lions had 19 assists, their highest total in a Big Ten game.
• Lundy became the roster's fifth 1,000-point scorer, joining Jalen Pickett, Myles Dread, Andrew Funk and Camren Wynter.
• Penn State, San Diego and UAB are the nation's only three teams with five 1,000-point scorers on the roster.
• Funk scored a season-high 23 points.
• Evan Mahaffey scored a career-high 12 on 4-for-4 shooting.

PENN STATE FANS: SI Tickets is your one-stop shop for tickets to a variety of Penn State sporting events, from football to basketball, hockey to volleyball. Need tickets to the Penn State game? Check out SI Tickets.

Read More

Penn State's Micah Shrewsberry questions Big Ten officiating again

After a loss to Purdue, Micah Shrewsberry apologizes to Philadelphia

For Penn State football, a new 'alignment' breeds playoff hopes

Calvin Lowry returns to Penn State as an analyst

In 2022, Penn State returned from its two-year detour

The most interesting stats of Penn State's 2022 season

Of his brother Sean, Liam Clifford says, "He's a Penn State legend"

The Penn State Rose Bowl report card: A signature finish

Penn State lands a portal receiver after the Rose Bowl

The story behind the longest touchdown catch in Rose Bowl history

Penn State goes big at the Rose Bowl

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.