Coming off a hard-fought battle with their in-state rivals that came up just short, Penn State returned to the friendly confines of the Bryce Jordan Center to take on Mercyhurst in a “get-right” type of game. The Lakers however, weren’t about to make things *that* easy for the Lions.
The first five minutes started off sluggish, as PSU trailed 7-6 in a back-and-forth affair with Mercyhurst, before going on a 18-4 run over nearly the next ten minutes with a healthy dose of Ivan Jurić, Brant Byers, and Roko
Prkačin leading the way scoring-wise. As a result, PSU held a 24-11 lead with 5:30 remaining in the first half. The Lakers however, channeled their NBA counterparts over the remaining five-and-a-half minutes of the half and began chipping away at the PSU lead, thanks to Jake Lemelman and Hunter Te Retana leading the way, leaving the game’s outcome in doubt at halftime as PSU led 33-29.
The undermanned but feisty Lakers would pick up where they left off in the second half, tying the game twice at about the 16-minute mark and again around the 13-minute mark. With the game tied at 41, Thomas Allard drained a three-pointer that would spark a 10-0 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes to push the Nittany Lions’ lead back into double figures. Mercyhurst would cut the PSU lead to six points on a Lemelman trey with 2:48 left, but following a timeout Jurić and Byers put up back-to-back layups to push the lead back to double digits for good. In the end, PSU was able to do enough to avoid the dreaded Jon Rothstein Penn State loses a buy game to Mercyhurst, the epitome of brutality tweet.
Players of the Game
Ivan Jurić – 20 points, 15 rebounds
Brant Byers – 14 points (3-for-5 3 PT FG)
Ivan was one of the few players who put together a strong performance from beginning to end, as he put up a solid double-double. Byers, who was much-hyped for his three-point shooting ability, showed off that range by accounting for half of the Nittany Lions’ six made treys.
Random Observations
Is This Bad? – Penn State was getting out-rebounded halfway through the second half despite Mercyhurst not having a player taller than 6’9” on their roster. Ultimately, PSU would win the rebounding battle 39-33, but it certainly comes off as a red flag going into some tougher matchups with Memphis and either Wake Forest or Mississippi State.
Oh, Hello, Andy… – Andy Gemao saw his first few minutes of non-garbage time action in this game, as Mike Rhoades threw him in midway through the second half. He picked up a rebound and also doled out an assist, making the most of his three minutes of playing time. It sure would help from a depth standpoint if he can provide some quality enough minutes off the bench.
Not So Charitable From The Stripe – PSU had been pretty decent from the free throw line coming into this game, but they had a rough night from the line, hitting on only 16 of their 27 attempts. This could have been a more comfortable game had they made several more from the charity stripe.
Up Next
Penn State (3-1) will host New Haven (1-2) this Sunday at the BJC. Tip-off will be at 4:30 PM EST and the game will stream on Peacock.
