Penn State Starts Strong at the Big Ten Tournament

After beating outmanned Minnesota in the first round, the Lions look ahead to Ohio State.

Penn State labored into the Big Ten Tournament, losing four of its last five games and falling to the No. 11 seed. Then the Lions limped through a meager first half against Minnesota, in which they shot just 32 percent and scored 24 points.

But the second-half Lions rallied once again, this time against an ultimately outmanned Minnesota team for a 60-51 victory in the first round of Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.

With the win, Penn State (13-16) advanced to Thursday's second-round game against No. 6 Ohio State. The game is the nightcap of Thursday's action in Indianapolis, with a scheduled start time of about 9 p.m. EST on Big Ten Network. The Buckeyes (19-10) swept Penn State this season, winning at the Bryce Jordan Center 76-64 in December and at home 61-56 in January.

The Lions won't face the quirky lineup decision against Ohio State that Minnesota was forced to play with Wednesday. The Golden Gophers (13-17) played almost the entire game without substituting, choosing to roll with their starters for nearly 40 minutes.

The decision stemmed from Minnesota missing E.J. Stephens, who started all 28 games this season but sat for most of Wednesday's game because of a migraine, according to BTN's Andy Katz. Stephens entered with 3:53 remaining, marking Minnesota's only substitution of the game. Stephens wound up playing just 51 seconds.

The Gophers substituted infrequently to begin with this season; they had just seven players who played more than 20 games. So Penn State clearly took advantage of Minnesota's thin roster in the second half, rotating seven players, subbing often and relying on Jalen Pickett.

Pickett, who played all 40 minutes, scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, when he made his first four shots and finished 5-for-6. Pickett added seven rebounds and four assists.

The Lions, who shot 32 percent in the first half and missed six straight during one stretch, found their stride in the second. They shot 59 percent (13-for-22), made five 3-pointers and stretched their lead to nine points at the finish. 

The first half distilled Penn State's season-long offensive inconsistencies into 20 sobering minutes. The Lions went more than 5 minutes without scoring, missing six consecutive shots in that stretch. And these weren't tough looks. Penn State missed three clear jumpers and two open 3s in that run. As usual, though, the Lions' defense kept the game close, trailing by just four points at halftime.

The second half looked quite different. Penn State scored 36 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, something head coach Micah Shrewsberry acknowledged after the game, telling BTN that his team gets better as the game goes on.

That's certainly true of John Harrar, who finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Sam Sessoms, who started coolly from the field, finished with 14 points. Seth Lundy added 11.

Noteworthy

Harrar became the sixth player in Penn State history to record 800 career points and 800 career rebounds.

Penn State beat Minnesota for the first time in the Big Ten Tournament. The Gophers were 4-0 in their previous tournament games vs. the Lions.

Penn State won a Big Ten tournament game for the fourth time in the last five tournaments that were completed (2020's was canceled).

Penn State has never won a Big Ten tournament title. The Lions reached the championship game in 2011.

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.