Penn State's Constant Fight Leads to Big Win Over Ohio State

With their backs to the wall again, the Lions rally to upset Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament.

After his team lost to Ohio State in January, Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry said, "I hope we get them a third time in Indy."

The Lions delivered on their coach's hope Thursday, defeating sixth-seeded Ohio State 71-68 in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. With the victory, Shrewsberry gets another date with his former team, as Penn State plays No. 3 Purdue in Friday's quarterfinals. Tipoff is scheduled for about 9 p.m. EST on Big Ten Network.

Eleventh-seeded Penn State (14-16) fought through yet another meager scoring start to reach the tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2018. The Lions did so in the paint behind Sam Sessoms, who gave up his body to score 18 points, nine in a decisive second-half stretch that gave the Lions their first lead.

Sessoms made back-to-back jumpers in the paint, turned a fastbreak into a 3-point play and then hit another layup to give Penn State a 3-point lead. With 1:23 remaining, John Harrar made the game's most demonstrative basket, elbowing Ohio State's defensive aside for a putback basket after a Sessoms miss to give the Lions a 4-point advantage.

"We don't want to go home, that's the main thing," Penn State's Myles Dread said.

For Penn State, the win continued a postseason surge that followed a regular-season fizzle. The Lions lost four of five to close the Big Ten season, though those last two losses were by a total of six points. As usual, Penn State seldom has played itself out of a game this season, even when it can't shoot, which happened again Thursday.

All of us after that @PennStateMBB comeback win. 🙌#B1Gtourney pic.twitter.com/pqaCwfawLA

— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) March 11, 2022

The Lions shot 32 percent in the first half (same as they did Wednesday against Minnesota) and fell behind by as many as 13 points. But Sessoms (18 points), Jalen Pickett (16, eight rebounds) and Harrar (12 points, nine rebounds) wouldn't let their seasons end with another grueling loss.

Penn State scored an exceptional 32 points in the paint, got 32 points from its bench and shot 61.5 percent in the second half. Guards Pickett and Sessoms were exceptional, combining to make seven of 13 shots in the second half.

Meanwhile, Dread's defense (he had two steals) frustrated Ohio State much of the night. And the Lions committed just one second-half turnover after making five in the first half. Shrewsberry referred to something his former boss Brad Stevens told him.

"He always says, 'The toughest teams set the rules,'" Shrewsberry said. "And I felt like we were the tougher team in the second half."

Penn State has absorbed some bitter losses this season; eight of its 13 Big Ten losses came by seven points or less. But Shrewsberry said those games have hardened his players to the tough moments.

"We've been through a lot this year," Shrewsberry said after the game. "We've had a lot of close losses, and now we're doing what we need to do to flip those losses to wins. All those losses just made us battle-tested, and we're starting to find the right rhythm right now at the right time."

Now, Penn State faces Purdue, a team with which its coach is very familiar. Penn State scouted Purdue significantly as well last year, when Shrewsberry was an assistant to Matt Painter. The Boilermakers beat Purdue 74-67 in January, but Shrewsberry has a plan.

"We're getting to Friday, we get a chance to play," the coach told BTN after the game, "If we keep guarding the way we're guarding, we're giving ourselves a chance."

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.