Penn State and Clemson played a thrilling game Tuesday night that went into double-overtime and saw both teams display great resiliency at times.
The Nittany Lions were in position to pick up a good road win, but that eluded them as they fell to the Tigers, 101-94, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C.
This is one of those intriguing types of early season outcomes in college basketball, particularly for a team like Penn State. The Lions could be on the NCAA Tournament bubble down the road, and if so, they will need to be able to point to a number of quality victories.
Clearly, Penn State (6-2) can play with just about any team that could have a shot at the NCAA Tournament, and Clemson (6-2) falls into that category. And while losing this kind of game on the road probably won't hurt the Lions -- unless Clemson falls apart this season -- it still winds up being a missed opportunity to bolster the resume with a road victory over a power-conference opponent.
Penn State came into the game ranked a very respectable 33rd in the KenPom rankings, while Clemson was 65th. The Tigers ultimately could get a boost from this win, if the Lions go on to enjoy a strong season and become an NCAA Tournament team.
The Lions led 35-29 at the half, then went cold for most of the second half as Clemson surged ahead. Penn State rallied late in regulation and got this 3-point bank shot by Andrew Funk with 5 seconds left to tie the game at 71 and force overtime.
Andrew Funk banked-in buzzer beater three for OT???
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 30, 2022
SURE WHY NOT! pic.twitter.com/aq9mindm67
Camren Wynter gave Penn State an 83-81 lead with 21 seconds left in the first overtime, but this time Clemson answered and tied the game on a bucket with 5 seconds remaining.
Seth Lundy hit a 3 in the second overtime to bring Penn State even at 88 with 2:51 to go. Clemson then ran off six straight points in a run that wound up deciding the game.
The Lions pulled within 96-93 on a 3-pointer by Dallion Johnson with 42 seconds left, but Clemson hit its free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Wynter led Penn State with 26 points, while Lundy and Jalen Pickett added 23 apiece. Funk finished with 14.
Penn State shot the ball well in the first half, hitting 50 percent overall (14 of 28) and knocking down 6 of 13 3-pointers. But the Lions went cold in the second half, hitting just 3 of 16 from deep and 9 of 29 shots overall (31 percent).
This Lions team is going to live and die by the 3-point shot, and when it shoots 3 for 16 in a half, it's going to be tough. The fact that the Lions got the game to overtime on Funk's late trey was a testament to the team's fight.
Still, fight isn't always good enough when you're a team that needs quality wins. Just like in their 61-59 loss to Virginia Tech in Charleston, the Lions were right there in this one but couldn't quite finish off what would have been a good victory.
Penn State's next game will be a Big Ten contest against Michigan State on Dec. 7 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Tipoff will be 7 p.m., and the game will air on BTN.
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