Penn State Falls in OT to Maryland in Big Ten Opener

The Nittany Lions gamely force overtime but extend their losing streak to five games.

Penn State’s Big Ten opener at Maryland featured just about exactly what you’d expect from the circumstances. It was physical, chippy, included double technical fouls and a more-than-healthy 17 lead changes in an overtime thriller. In the end, Maryland topped Penn State 81-75, extending the Nittany Lions' five-game losing streak.

Penn State (4-5) sought to end Maryland's nearly year-long home win streak at the XFINITY Center. Instead, the Terps (5-4) preserved their 51-week home win streak. Maryland has won 16 consecutive home games dating to last season and 14 in the conference.

Penn State trailed by one with 20 seconds remaining, when Kanye Clary missed a mid-range jumper. However, Maryland freshman Deshawn Harris-Smith hit just one free throw after an intentional foul, giving the Lions life. In a wild sequence, Maryland's Jahari Long committed a hard foul against Ace Baldwin Jr. on the inbound. Baldwin tied the game with both free throws, and Maryland missed a decent look at the rim to force overtime.

Penn State clearly ran out of gas in the extra period, scoring just four points. The Lions were outclassed in the paint all night and lost grip of a winnable game late. Maryland guard Jahmir Young scored 28 points, and forward Julian Reese tied a career-high with 24. The Terps also held a huge rebounding edge.

The offenses didn't begin clicking until midway through the second half, as poor shooting and strong defense combined for the back-and-forth slugfest. Penn State took a 30-28 lead into halftime and never trailed despite converting just 46 percent of its first-half shots.

Here’s what we saw in College Park.

Penn State's defense bounces back, but problems persist

After struggling mightily during its previous four losses, Penn State’s defense realistically had a nice bounce-back game on the road against Maryland. The Terps shot just 34 percent from the field and 20 percent from 3-point range. There were, however, a continuation of some glaring problems for Penn State that seem to be a season-long issue.Maryland outrebounded Penn State 53-31 and pulled in 23 (!) offensive rebounds to Penn State’s nine. The free-throw discrepancy was just as staggering: Maryland took 39 shots from the line, while Penn State attempted 21. The Lions were in foul trouble virtually from the start and wound up with both Qudus Wahab and Demetrius Lilley fouling out in the second half, leaving small-ball lineups throughout the end of the evening. Reese took full advantage for his breakout performance.

Rebounding is a consistent concern for Rhoades. He has mentioned it multiple times this season, and it continues to show up on the court. The return of 6-11 forward Favour Aire might help, but Penn State’s paint presence is almost non-existent as Big Ten play picks up.

As Kanye Clary goes…

It’s time to buy into the Kanye Clary hype. He scored 25 points, marking his seventh game in doube figures and four with 20-plus. The ball is so much faster for Penn State with him on the floor. Clary offers the ability to drive and kick in the lane like not many others can. He stamped at least two highlights Wednesday night: an ankle-breaking 3-pointer and a smooth step-back jumper while driving hard down the lane.

Ace Baldwin Jr. continues to search for offensive consistency in his first season at Penn State. He finished with 16 points, including going 9-for-9 from the free-throw line, but Baldwin was the only other Nittany Lion in double figures. Rhoades is going to need someone else to step up in the scoring column quickly.

The Lions need shots to fall

In its four previous losses, Penn State shot below 33 percent from 3-point range and was shooting under 30 percent from the arc on the season. Guess what? The Lions made 32 percent of their shots from deep against Maryland and lost.

Rhoades claimed Penn State shoots 3-pointers better in practice than it has in games. True or not, this is another ugly trend that keeps showing up. Guard Jameel Brown is currently in a boot and has missed two games, which hurts, but Penn State’s other expected shooters have disappointed. And it has hurt the team’s overall performance.

Up next

Penn State hosts Ohio State for its Big Ten home opener on Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.

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