NEW YORK – It wasn’t even this close. Penn State defeated Mississippi State 75-60 in the second semifinal of the NIT at Madison Square Garden. Tuesday night’s victory puts the Nittany Lions in the championship against Utah on Thursday. The numbers of note:
Possessions: 62
Offensive efficiency: Penn State 121, Mississippi State 97
Penn State, largely due to a 19-2 second quarter run, enjoyed a 19 point lead at intermission. The Nittany Lions of coach Pat Chambers stretched the lead to 24 after three. The Bulldogs outscored Penn State 19-10 in the final quarter to make the final cosmetically better. No doubt, this was a performance Chambers would love to bottle.
Key factor: Defense. Mississippi State’s turnover ratio was a moderate 18 percent. This wasn’t about forcing turnovers. Rather, some basic lockdown defense – contesting shots and forcing the opposition into taking poor ones. Penn State limited the SEC representatives to an eFG percentage of 43 percent. The Bulldogs struggled on the perimeter, shooting 3 of 15 (20 percent). Chambers spent a good part of the post game press conference lauding the defensive effort. “We watched film and prepared for several days for a good SEC team,” Chambers said. “To their credit our guys bought in.”
Certainly not to be overlooked was Penn State’s offensive showing. Their outstanding efficiency was aided by a 13 percent turnover rate and lights out shooting. The Nittany Lions shot a torrid 59 eFG percentage. They went 11 of 20 (55 percent) from three-point range, shooting a better percentage than inside the arc, 18 of 39 (46 percent). There were times Mississippi State coach Ben Howland paced the sidelines looking on in amazement as the opposing long distance shots were finding nothing but net. One area Mississippi State dominated was points off the bench. The Bulldogs led 29-6 in that category, as Penn State had four players log 30 or more minutes.
Penn State attempted 10 (6 of 10 for 60 percent) free throws to 21 (15 of 21 for 71.4 percent) of Mississippi State. The success on the perimeter was noted. The perimeter game, though, meant less of a chance to get to the line. On this night it didn’t affect the Big Ten representatives one bit.
Key players
Tony Carr, Penn State: Game-high 21 points including 3 of 6 from long range.
Shep Garner, Penn State: 18 points on 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. Garner later deadpanned, “I like playing in the Garden.”
Lamar Stevens, Penn State: 17 points, team-high eight rebounds and six assists against one turnover. .
Tyson Carter, Mississippi State: A team-high 19 points in 24 minutes of relief.
Abdul Ado, Mississippi State: Tough inside, scored 13 points while pulling down a team-high eight boards.
Penn State improved to 25-13 while Mississippi State ended its campaign at 25-12.
Next up for Penn State is Utah. The Utes run a good deal of sets, many originating out of a pick and roll. Chambers admitted Utah would pose a challenge given what they run offensively and the time available to prepare. Besides live scouting from Utah’s semifinal win over Western Kentucky there would be tapes to review and break down. “Looks like a long night ahead,” the Penn State mentor commented. And Chambers was not complaining one bit.
