With 1:37 left, Seth Lundy made a decisive 3-pointer and finished with 17 points to help Penn State beat No. On Tuesday night, 19 Michigan State beat Penn State 62 to 58.
John Harrar scored 16 points and had 16 rebounds. Jalen Pickett had 10 points to lead the Nittany Lions (10-12 Big Ten, 5-9 Big Ten), which beat a ranked opponent for the first time since Micah Shrewsberry became coach.
Julius Marble II scored 14 and Max Christie 10 points for the Spartans (18-7-9-5), who led for most of the time except 4:42. With 13:20 left to play, Michigan State led by 14 points.
Michigan State opened the second period with an 8-0 run and, just four minutes later, it had its largest lead at 43-29 thanks to a Marble jumper.
Sessoms was instrumental in Penn State’s recovery. Sessoms hit back-toback shots, which led to a 15-2 run in the following 4:39.
After the Nittany Lions reduced the lead to one twice, Lundy’s pull-up jumper gave them their first lead for the half at 1:37.
With a balanced approach in the first half, the Spartans quickly took control.
In the first 9:17, six shooters scored. Midway through the second, Michigan State took a 16-9 lead thanks to Max Christie’s mid-range jumper. The Spartans kept Penn State to 8-for-29 shooting from floor, and they got four blocks in the first fifteen minutes.
As the second half progressed, Penn State changed its strategy and opted for outside shots while the Spartans controlled their paint.
Pickett scored 10 points in halftime and made two 3-pointers including one from a fast break to tie the game at 22-22 with 1:59 remaining in the first. After scoring 10 points in the first half, Pickett added two free throws. Mady Sisoko’s bucket made it 24-16 at halftime. BIG PICTURE
Michigan State: The Spartans are continuing to play stingy defense. They were able to hold their opponents to only 40.4% shooting when they entered the game, but couldn’t keep Penn State in check down the stretch.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions have ended a difficult streak that saw them play five of seven road games in a row. They’ll be playing three games in six days on Tuesday, starting a new trip.
UP NEXT
Michigan State: Hosts No. 12 Illinois on Saturday. The Spartans fell to the Illini 56 to 55 on Jan. 25,
Penn State hosts Minnesota on Thursday
