PSU

IND

Pickett, Penn State beat Indiana 77-73 in Big Ten semis

AP
Mar 11, 2023

CHICAGO (AP) Penn State Nittany Lions got pushed by Indiana Hoosiers all the way to the end. The Nittany Lions held on.

Close games are no big deal for Jalen Pickett and Co.

Pickett scored 28 points, Seth Lundy had 16 and Penn State beat No. 19 Indiana 77-73 on Saturday to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship.

Andrew Funk added nine points as 10th-seeded Penn State (22-12) won for the eighth time in nine games. The Nittany Lions went 8 for 23 from 3-point range, compared to 2 for 14 for the Hoosiers.

Penn State became the first double-digit seed to reach the Big Ten final since Illinois in 2008, and just the third overall in the history of the tournament.

“We’re playing our best basketball right now,” coach Micah Shrewsberry said.

Next up is top-seeded Purdue, which stopped Ohio State’s surprising run with an 80-66 victory in the first semifinal. The Nittany Lions were swept by the fifth-ranked Boilermakers this season, losing 76-63 on Jan. 8 and 80-60 on Feb. 1.

Shrewsberry was an assistant at Purdue before he took over the Nittany Lions in March 2021. He remains good friends with Boilermakers coach Matt Painter.

“It'll be a great challenge,” Shrewsberry said. “We got to be ready.”

Penn State opened the tournament with a 79-76 victory against Illinois and a 67-65 overtime win against Northwestern. The Nittany Lions' last seven games have been decided by a total of 20 points.

The deep Big Ten run has Penn State in position for its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2011. It looked as if the school was going in 2020, but the tourney was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have a poster in our locker room saying ‘Believe,’ and you know I think our team is believing in us,” Pickett said.

Trayce Jackson-Davis had 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Indiana (22-11), and Tamar Bates had 14 points. The third-seeded Hoosiers shot 56% in the second half, but they ran out of time after making a frantic comeback in the final minutes.

“We need that intensity throughout the whole game,” Jackson-Davis said, “and we can't play scared. I thought overall we kind of played tentative.”

Trey Galloway's layup with 33 seconds left got Indiana within one, but Lundy responded with two free throws for Penn State. Jalen Hood-Schifino then missed a 3 and Camren Wynter hit another foul shot to help the Nittany Lions close it out.

Penn State went 23 for 26 at the line, compared to 9 for 11 for Indiana.

“When we're winning, you know our perimeter play is making shots and our bigs are making plays inside,” Indiana coach Mike Woodson said, “and it was kind of lopsided a little bit today.”

The Hoosiers tied it at 47 on Jackson-Davis' jam with 10:23 left. But the Nittany Lions responded with a 14-4 run.

Pickett kicked off the decisive stretch with an offensive rebound and a layup. Funk made a big 3-pointer, and Kebba Njie dunked off a pass from Wynter. After Hood-Schifino made two foul shots for Indiana, Wynter connected from deep for a 61-51 lead with 5:22 to go.

“We just stick together and keep fighting,” Lundy said.

Hood-Schifino scored 11 points for Indiana, which lost 85-66 at Penn State on Jan. 11. Race Thompson had 10, including a soaring alley-oop jam in the first half that drew a big round of cheers from the United Center crowd.

TUNNEL VISION

Asked about reports that he could be a candidate for openings at Notre Dame and Georgetown, Shrewsberry said he is focused on his team.

“I’m happy to be here. Nobody wanted me a few years ago,” he said. “I’m happy to be here. I love our guys. We’re going to prepare to play for a championship tomorrow.”

BIG PICTURE

There is a lot to like about a Penn State team that can make free throws and 3-pointers. It struggled against Indiana's press in the final minutes, but it didn't sound too concerned about the trouble after win.

Indiana had stretches of stellar play and looked a little too comfortable at other times. It struggled on the glass, getting outrebounded 38-30.

UP NEXT

Penn State is making its first appearance in the Big Ten Tournament championship since 2011.

Indiana waits to see where it is going for the NCAA Tournament.

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Follow Jay Cohen at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

1st Half
PSU
Nittany Lions
34
IND
Hoosiers
26

Time		Play	Score
20:00		Kebba Njie vs. Trayce Jackson-Davis (Jalen Hood-Schifino gains possession)
19:41		Race Thompson misses two point layup
19:39		Andrew Funk defensive rebound
19:18		Jalen Pickett misses two point jump shot
19:16		Hoosiers defensive rebound
18:57	+2	Jalen Hood-Schifino makes two point jump shot (Trayce Jackson-Davis assists)	0-2
18:35	+3	Seth Lundy makes three point jump shot (Jalen Pickett assists)	3-2
18:11	+2	Race Thompson makes two point hook shot	3-4
17:55		Camren Wynter misses two point pullup jump shot
17:53		Hoosiers defensive rebound
17:53		Kebba Njie personal foul
17:42	+2	Race Thompson makes two point layup (Jalen Hood-Schifino assists)	3-6
17:24		Seth Lundy turnover (bad pass) (Miller Kopp steals)
17:11		Trayce Jackson-Davis misses two point layup
17:09		Trayce Jackson-Davis offensive rebound
17:09	+2	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes two point dunk	3-8
16:52		Race Thompson shooting foul (Seth Lundy draws the foul)
16:52	+1	Seth Lundy makes regular free throw 1 of 3	4-8
16:52	+1	Seth Lundy makes regular free throw 2 of 3	5-8
16:52	+1	Seth Lundy makes regular free throw 3 of 3	6-8
16:33	+2	Race Thompson makes two point hook shot (Miller Kopp assists)	6-10
16:12		Seth Lundy misses three point jump shot
16:10		Trey Galloway defensive rebound
16:03	+2	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes two point dunk (Trey Galloway assists)	6-12
15:39		Andrew Funk misses three point jump shot
15:37		Trayce Jackson-Davis defensive rebound
15:25		Trey Galloway misses three point jump shot
15:23		Seth Lundy defensive rebound
15:15		Jalen Pickett misses three point stepback jump shot
15:13		Trayce Jackson-Davis defensive rebound
14:56		Jalen Hood-Schifino turnover (bad pass)
14:56		TV timeout
14:44	+3	Andrew Funk makes three point jump shot (Jalen Pickett assists)	9-12
14:23		Trayce Jackson-Davis misses two point jump shot
14:21		Michael Henn defensive rebound
14:13		Jalen Hood-Schifino blocks Kanye Clary's two point jump shot
14:11		Trey Galloway defensive rebound
14:02		Miller Kopp misses three point jump shot
14:00		Kanye Clary defensive rebound
13:41	+2	Jalen Pickett makes two point jump shot	11-12
13:25		Jalen Hood-Schifino misses two point jump shot
13:23		Kanye Clary defensive rebound
13:08		Jalen Pickett turnover (bad pass) (Race Thompson steals)
13:01		Jalen Hood-Schifino misses two point pullup jump shot
12:59		Michael Henn defensive rebound
12:39	+3	Myles Dread makes three point jump shot (Andrew Funk assists)	14-12
12:14		Race Thompson misses two point jump shot
12:12		Andrew Funk defensive rebound
11:46	+3	Jalen Pickett makes three point jump shot	17-12
11:28		Miller Kopp misses three point jump shot
11:26		Jalen Pickett defensive rebound
11:13	+2	Jalen Pickett makes two point layup	19-12
11:11		Hoosiers 30 second timeout
11:11		TV timeout
10:59		Trayce Jackson-Davis misses two point jump shot
10:57		Myles Dread defensive rebound
10:42		Jalen Pickett misses three point jump shot
10:40		Malik Reneau defensive rebound
10:27	+2	Miller Kopp makes two point turnaround jump shot (Trayce Jackson-Davis assists)	19-14
9:54	+3	Seth Lundy makes three point jump shot (Kanye Clary assists)	22-14
9:35		Tamar Bates misses three point jump shot
9:33		Malik Reneau offensive rebound
9:30		Seth Lundy personal foul (Malik Reneau draws the foul)
9:25		Tamar Bates misses two point jump shot
9:23		Jalen Pickett defensive rebound
9:17		Myles Dread misses three point jump shot
9:15		Hoosiers defensive rebound
8:57		Myles Dread personal foul (Malik Reneau draws the foul)
8:47		Tamar Bates misses two point jump shot
8:45		Race Thompson offensive rebound
8:39		Jalen Hood-Schifino misses three point jump shot
8:37		Kebba Njie defensive rebound
8:20	+2	Jalen Pickett makes two point stepback jump shot	24-14
7:53		Race Thompson misses two point layup
7:51		Malik Reneau offensive rebound
7:48	+2	Malik Reneau makes two point layup	24-16
7:29		Malik Reneau shooting foul (Seth Lundy draws the foul)
7:29		TV timeout
7:29	+1	Seth Lundy makes regular free throw 1 of 2	25-16
7:29	+1	Seth Lundy makes regular free throw 2 of 2	26-16
7:17		Malik Reneau turnover (lost ball)
6:59		Camren Wynter misses two point jump shot
6:57		Jalen Hood-Schifino defensive rebound
6:41		Tamar Bates misses two point driving layup
6:39		Kebba Njie defensive rebound
6:28	+2	Kanye Clary makes two point jump shot	28-16
6:08	+2	Tamar Bates makes two point jump shot (Jalen Hood-Schifino assists)	28-18
5:41		Andrew Funk misses three point jump shot
5:39		Trey Galloway defensive rebound
5:28		Kebba Njie personal foul
5:22		Race Thompson misses two point turnaround jump shot
5:20		Michael Henn defensive rebound
4:53		Seth Lundy misses three point jump shot
4:51		Trey Galloway defensive rebound
4:46	+2	Race Thompson makes two point alley-oop dunk (Tamar Bates assists)	28-20
4:25		Tamar Bates shooting foul (Kanye Clary draws the foul)
4:25	+1	Kanye Clary makes regular free throw 1 of 2	29-20
4:25	+1	Kanye Clary makes regular free throw 2 of 2	30-20
4:13		Jalen Hood-Schifino misses two point jump shot
4:11		Jalen Pickett defensive rebound
3:45		Jalen Pickett misses two point pullup jump shot
3:43		Trey Galloway defensive rebound
3:30	+2	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes two point hook shot	30-22
3:04		Andrew Funk misses three point jump shot
3:02		Trayce Jackson-Davis defensive rebound
2:52	+2	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes two point jump shot (Trey Galloway assists)	30-24
2:52		Jalen Pickett shooting foul (Trayce Jackson-Davis draws the foul)
2:52		TV timeout
2:52		Trayce Jackson-Davis misses regular free throw 1 of 1
2:52		Myles Dread defensive rebound
2:32		Seth Lundy misses three point jump shot
2:30		Jalen Hood-Schifino defensive rebound
1:58		Hoosiers turnover (shot clock violation)
1:32	+2	Jalen Pickett makes two point driving layup	32-24
1:16		Miller Kopp misses two point pullup jump shot
1:14		Jalen Pickett defensive rebound
1:07		Myles Dread misses three point jump shot
1:05		Camren Wynter offensive rebound
0:59		Myles Dread misses two point jump shot
0:57		Trayce Jackson-Davis defensive rebound
0:46	+2	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes two point turnaround jump shot (Jalen Hood-Schifino assists)	32-26
0:31		Nittany Lions 30 second timeout
0:14		Trayce Jackson-Davis shooting foul (Jalen Pickett draws the foul)
0:14	+1	Jalen Pickett makes regular free throw 1 of 2	33-26
0:14	+1	Jalen Pickett makes regular free throw 2 of 2	34-26
0:07		Kanye Clary personal foul
0:02		Jalen Pickett blocks Miller Kopp's three point jump shot
0:00		Miller Kopp offensive rebound
0:00		Miller Kopp misses two point jump shot
0:00		Hoosiers offensive rebound
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
PSU
Nittany Lions
43
IND
Hoosiers
47

Time		Play	Score
19:40		Jalen Pickett misses two point jump shot
19:38		Andrew Funk offensive rebound
19:33		Race Thompson shooting foul (Kebba Njie draws the foul)
19:33	+1	Kebba Njie makes regular free throw 1 of 2	35-26
19:33	+1	Kebba Njie makes regular free throw 2 of 2	36-26
19:20	+2	Jalen Hood-Schifino makes two point jump shot	36-28
18:54		Seth Lundy misses three point jump shot
18:52		Seth Lundy offensive rebound
18:45		Camren Wynter misses two point pullup jump shot
18:43		Kebba Njie offensive rebound
18:43		Race Thompson personal foul
18:41	+2	Camren Wynter makes two point cutting layup (Jalen Pickett assists)	38-28
18:16		Trey Galloway misses three point jump shot
18:14		Jalen Pickett defensive rebound
18:05		Jalen Pickett misses two point turnaround jump shot
18:03		Race Thompson defensive rebound
17:54		Myles Dread shooting foul (Race Thompson draws the foul)
17:54	+1	Race Thompson makes regular free throw 1 of 2	38-29
17:54	+1	Race Thompson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	38-30
17:45		Andrew Funk misses three point jump shot
17:43		Malik Reneau defensive rebound
17:28	+2	Malik Reneau makes two point hook shot (Miller Kopp assists)	38-32
17:03		Jalen Pickett misses two point driving layup
17:01		Malik Reneau defensive rebound
16:45	+3	Tamar Bates makes three point jump shot (Trayce Jackson-Davis assists)	38-35
16:19	+2	Myles Dread makes two point pullup jump shot (Camren Wynter assists)	40-35
15:57	+2	Tamar Bates makes two point pullup jump shot (Trayce Jackson-Davis assists)	40-37
15:40		Malik Reneau personal foul (Jalen Pickett draws the foul)
15:40		TV timeout
15:26	+2	Kanye Clary makes two point turnaround jump shot (Myles Dread assists)	42-37
14:52		Myles Dread shooting foul (Malik Reneau draws the foul)
14:52	+1	Malik Reneau makes regular free throw 1 of 2	42-38
14:52	+1	Malik Reneau makes regular free throw 2 of 2	42-39
14:30		Jalen Pickett misses two point hook shot
14:28		Trayce Jackson-Davis defensive rebound
14:21		Tamar Bates misses three point jump shot
14:19		Kebba Njie defensive rebound
14:01		Jalen Pickett misses two point hook shot
13:59		Malik Reneau defensive rebound
13:39	+2	Miller Kopp makes two point pullup jump shot	42-41
13:18		Trayce Jackson-Davis blocks Kanye Clary's two point driving layup
13:16		Jalen Hood-Schifino defensive rebound
13:04		Malik Reneau misses two point turnaround jump shot
13:02		Myles Dread defensive rebound
12:44		Seth Lundy misses two point driving layup
12:42		Kebba Njie offensive rebound
12:42	+2	Kebba Njie makes two point putback dunk	44-41
12:21	+2	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes two point dunk (Tamar Bates assists)	44-43
12:04		Jalen Hood-Schifino personal foul
11:56	+2	Seth Lundy makes two point jump shot (Camren Wynter assists)	46-43
11:56		Malik Reneau shooting foul (Seth Lundy draws the foul)
11:56		TV timeout
11:56	+1	Seth Lundy makes regular free throw 1 of 1	47-43
11:48		Michael Henn personal foul (Trayce Jackson-Davis draws the foul)
11:42		Race Thompson turnover (lost ball) (Kanye Clary steals)
11:13		Kanye Clary misses two point driving layup
11:11		Michael Henn offensive rebound
11:07		Michael Henn misses two point layup
11:05		Nittany Lions offensive rebound
11:05		Nittany Lions turnover (shot clock violation)
10:59		Michael Henn shooting foul (Trayce Jackson-Davis draws the foul)
10:59	+1	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes regular free throw 1 of 2	47-44
10:59	+1	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes regular free throw 2 of 2	47-45
10:48		Andrew Funk turnover (lost ball) (Trayce Jackson-Davis steals)
10:26		Michael Henn personal foul (Trayce Jackson-Davis draws the foul)
10:24	+2	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes two point cutting dunk (Miller Kopp assists)	47-47
10:05		Jalen Pickett misses two point layup
10:03		Jalen Pickett offensive rebound
9:59	+2	Jalen Pickett makes two point layup	49-47
9:38		Race Thompson misses two point layup
9:36		Seth Lundy defensive rebound
9:16		Kebba Njie misses two point layup
9:14		Miller Kopp defensive rebound
9:01		Camren Wynter personal foul (Trayce Jackson-Davis draws the foul)
8:56		Jalen Hood-Schifino turnover (bad pass) (Camren Wynter steals)
8:45	+3	Andrew Funk makes three point pullup jump shot (Jalen Pickett assists)	52-47
8:22		Miller Kopp misses two point jump shot
8:20		Kebba Njie defensive rebound
7:56	+2	Kebba Njie makes two point dunk (Camren Wynter assists)	54-47
7:54		Hoosiers 30 second timeout
7:54		TV timeout
7:39	+2	Miller Kopp makes two point driving layup (Trayce Jackson-Davis assists)	54-49
7:20		Seth Lundy misses three point jump shot
7:15		Kebba Njie offensive rebound
7:13		TV timeout
7:05	+2	Jalen Pickett makes two point turnaround jump shot	56-49
6:45		Tamar Bates misses three point jump shot
6:43		Nittany Lions defensive rebound
6:26		Andrew Funk misses three point pullup jump shot
6:24		Kebba Njie offensive rebound
6:03	+2	Jalen Pickett makes two point stepback jump shot	58-49
5:49		Camren Wynter personal foul
5:49	+1	Jalen Hood-Schifino makes regular free throw 1 of 2	58-50
5:49	+1	Jalen Hood-Schifino makes regular free throw 2 of 2	58-51
5:25	+3	Camren Wynter makes three point jump shot (Kebba Njie assists)	61-51
5:07		Jalen Hood-Schifino misses two point driving layup
5:05		Andrew Funk defensive rebound
4:59		Trey Galloway personal foul (Seth Lundy draws the foul)
4:51		Camren Wynter misses two point jump shot
4:49		Race Thompson defensive rebound
4:28	+2	Tamar Bates makes two point pullup jump shot	61-53
4:28		Andrew Funk shooting foul (Tamar Bates draws the foul)
4:28		Tamar Bates misses regular free throw 1 of 1
4:28		Jalen Pickett defensive rebound
4:02	+3	Andrew Funk makes three point pullup jump shot	64-53
3:38		Trey Galloway misses two point jump shot
3:36		Kebba Njie defensive rebound
3:26		Jalen Hood-Schifino personal foul
3:26		TV timeout
3:26	+1	Jalen Pickett makes regular free throw 1 of 2	65-53
3:26	+1	Jalen Pickett makes regular free throw 2 of 2	66-53
3:17		Jalen Hood-Schifino misses two point layup
3:15		Race Thompson offensive rebound
3:11		Race Thompson misses two point layup
3:09		Seth Lundy defensive rebound
2:55	+2	Jalen Pickett makes two point driving layup	68-53
2:44	+2	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes two point dunk (Jalen Hood-Schifino assists)	68-55
2:24		Tamar Bates personal foul
2:24	+1	Jalen Pickett makes regular free throw 1 of 2	69-55
2:24	+1	Jalen Pickett makes regular free throw 2 of 2	70-55
2:16	+2	Tamar Bates makes two point driving layup (Trayce Jackson-Davis assists)	70-57
2:06		Nittany Lions 30 second timeout
2:05		Tamar Bates personal foul
2:05	+1	Jalen Pickett makes regular free throw 1 of 2	71-57
2:05	+1	Jalen Pickett makes regular free throw 2 of 2	72-57
2:01	+2	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes two point dunk (Tamar Bates assists)	72-59
1:45		Jump ball. (Hoosiers gains possession)
1:45		Andrew Funk turnover (bad pass) (Race Thompson steals)
1:45		Hoosiers 30 second timeout
1:42	+2	Jalen Hood-Schifino makes two point driving layup	72-61
1:42		Myles Dread shooting foul (Jalen Hood-Schifino draws the foul)
1:42	+1	Jalen Hood-Schifino makes regular free throw 1 of 1	72-62
1:40		Andrew Funk turnover (lost ball) (Jalen Hood-Schifino steals)
1:40		Jalen Hood-Schifino misses three point jump shot
1:38		Seth Lundy defensive rebound
1:09		Myles Dread misses three point jump shot
1:07		Trayce Jackson-Davis defensive rebound
1:00	+3	Tamar Bates makes three point jump shot (Trayce Jackson-Davis assists)	72-65
0:59		Hoosiers 30 second timeout
0:54		Seth Lundy turnover (lost ball) (Race Thompson steals)
0:50	+2	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes two point dunk (Race Thompson assists)	72-67
0:50		Tamar Bates personal foul
0:50	+1	Camren Wynter makes regular free throw 1 of 2	73-67
0:50		Camren Wynter misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:50		Trayce Jackson-Davis defensive rebound
0:43		Jalen Hood-Schifino misses two point jump shot
0:41		Trayce Jackson-Davis offensive rebound
0:41	+2	Trayce Jackson-Davis makes two point tip layup	73-69
0:40		Jalen Hood-Schifino personal foul
0:40		Jalen Pickett misses regular free throw 1 of 2
0:40	+1	Jalen Pickett makes regular free throw 2 of 2	74-69
0:36	+2	Jalen Hood-Schifino makes two point jump shot	74-71
0:35		Nittany Lions 30 second timeout
0:33		Andrew Funk turnover (Trayce Jackson-Davis steals)
0:32	+2	Trey Galloway makes two point layup	74-73
0:18		Race Thompson personal foul
0:18	+1	Seth Lundy makes regular free throw 1 of 2	75-73
0:18	+1	Seth Lundy makes regular free throw 2 of 2	76-73
0:10		Jalen Hood-Schifino misses three point jump shot
0:08		Jalen Pickett defensive rebound
0:05		Jalen Hood-Schifino personal foul
0:05	+1	Camren Wynter makes regular free throw 1 of 2	77-73
0:05		Camren Wynter misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:05		Trayce Jackson-Davis defensive rebound
0:02		Trey Galloway misses three point jump shot
0:00		Seth Lundy defensive rebound
0:00		End of period

Seth Lundy defensive rebound