Penn State Stuns Maryland With More Camren Wynter Magic
If this is how Penn State plans to treat March, it could be one to remember.
Senior Camren Wynter beat the buzzer for the second consecutive game, lifting the Lions to a 65-64 comeback win over Maryland that lifted their NCAA Tournament hopes and reduced coach Micah Shrewsberry to tears.
Wynter corralled a bobbled Maryland rebound attempt and scored with .5 seconds remaining to give the Lions just their second lead of the second half. Forty-three seconds earlier, Wynter scored on a lovely feed from point guard Jalen Pickett to give the Lions their first lead after trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half.
"Right place at the right time," Wynter said.
It's been quite a stretch for Wynter, the only Penn State player who has been to the NCAA Tournament (with Drexel). He hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in overtime to lift the Lions to a crucial win at Northwestern on Wednesday, then followed that with an enormous final minute against the Terps.
Wynter scored four second-half points for the Lions. All four game in the final 45 seconds.
On Senior Day, Penn State's seniors seized control of the game in the second half, and Shrewsberry let them do it. Myles Dread and Andrew Funk combined for 22 second-half points (11 apiece) to prod the comeback. Amid another meager shooting game (0-for-4 from 3-point range), Seth Lundy made three vital foul shots with 3:26 remaining.
Pickett's defense helped hold Maryland to one basket in the last four minutes. He also had 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and made a wild running 3-pointer to beat the first-half buzzer and launch a rally mindset. And, of course, Wynter got hot at the absolute right time. He also got a bit lucky.
Lundy confidently took the late shot after Maryland's defense tried to cut off a pass to Funk. After missing, Lundy chased the offensive rebound and said he got a tip between three Maryland defenders to Wynter.
"I said it was going to be emotional, but I didn't expect it to be that emotional," Dread said after the game as tears welled in his eyes. "After the game it was, 'Oh man, that's like a storybook ending."
But Shrewsberry called it just the beginning. Penn State (19-12, 10-10 Big Ten) began the day as the Last Team In the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, which likely would earn it a First Four game in Dayton.
With the enormous win, Penn State at least held that critical position and, more importantly, earned a first-round bye at this week's Big Ten Tournament. Now, the Lions likely need just one win at the conference tournament to assure their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2011.
"I feel like we’re peaking," Shrewsberry said. "I feel like we’re playing our best basketball right now, which is want you want to do."
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