College Hoops

Penn State Drops Charleston Classic Semifinal Game as Comeback Attempt Falls Short

Second Round

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Penn State men’s basketball team lost its first game of the season in the semifinal round of the Charleston Classic to Virginia Tech, 61-59, on Friday afternoon at TD Arena.
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Despite holding its opponent under 70 points for the fifth consecutive game to start the season, the Nittany Lions couldn’t replicate their shooting success from earlier this season. Despite strong efforts behind the arc from Myles Dread and Andrew Funk, Jalen Pickett was the only other Nittany Lion to hit a 3-pointer in the game. Penn State outscored the hokies 30-24 in the second half and were able to set themselves up to tie or win in the final seconds of play but were unable to convert as the clock expired.
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Funk led Penn State in scoring with 21 points, including five threes and an 8-for-16 shooting day. Myles Dread’s five threes gave him 15 points as well. Jalen Pickett filled up the stat sheet again, as his eight assists, seven rebounds, and three steals all topped the Nittany Lions in today’s contest. Pickett also chipped in nine points
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Penn State shut down the Hokies behind the arc, as they went just 3-for-19 (15.8 percent) on the afternoon. The Nittany Lions also forced nine turnovers.
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HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Both squads started out slow, but the Hokies ended up with a 10-4 lead early in the first half with Penn State’s only points coming via two Andrew Funk layups.
  • Kebba Njie made his…

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