STATE COLLEGE – The first half is winding down. Penn State is up comfortably on the Loyola Greyhounds; the score is 37-26. The Nittany Lions have possession of the ball, which is in the hands of Camren Wynter. Wynter, who’s on the wing, swings it cross-court to Andrew Funk, who’s on the opposite wing. Funk immediately drives it to the paint but kicks it out to Myles Dread, who’s at the top of the key. Dread kicks it to Wynter, who’s still on the wing, and Wynter makes a quick pass to the corner to find a wide-open Dallion Johnson. Johnson lifts up and swishes a corner-three with his defender trailing. Poetry in motion; the story of the game.
Against Winthrop, most of Penn State’s success came from the perimeter. The team broke a school record with 18-made three-pointers. The Nittany Lions may be developing into a perimeter shooting team before our eyes, recording 16 threes in tonight’s win against Loyola.
Loyola tested Penn State in a way they hadn’t been against Winthrop. Loyola trapped leading scorer Jalen Pickett, and it worked. At the half, Pickett had 5pts on 2-6 shooting. Penn State saw tenacious help defense and quick rotations, a much more disciplined defense. Penn State’s perimeter shooting seemed to be the overarching difference, especially in the first half.
The Nittany Lions knocked down 10-threes in an otherwise even first half. Loyola secured the driving lanes but played to Penn State’s perimeter hot hand in return. Fifth-year senior Myles Dread was left open numerous times and took full advantage, shooting 3-6 from three in the first half. Penn State’s ball rotation was probably the leading factor in its perimeter success. The one-more swings from the paint and around the perimeter looked like poetry in motion at times. Loyola could not keep pace, going 3-10 from deep in the first half.
Penn State led comfortably for a large portion of the game. Camren Wynter, fifth-year senior from Hempstead, NY, was by far the player of the game. Wynter finished with 18-points on 7-9 shooting and found soft spots in Loyola’s defense throughout the game.
The second half was more of the same for the Nittany Lions. Loyola was never able to lead, and just like the game against Winthrop, the Nittany Lions never took its foot off the gas. Penn State ended the game on a 6-0 run, and Loyola ended on a scoring drought of 2:10 minutes. The final score would end up being 90-65, Penn State’s consecutive win of 20+ points. Penn State’s next game will be at home as Butler travels to the Bryce Jordan Center on Nov. 14.
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