John Harrar Wills Penn State to Upset Win Over Michigan State
Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry calls forward John Harrar a "culture-builder." Harrah helped Shrewsberry build one more stage of his culture Tuesday, closing out Penn State's biggest win of the season.
Harrar scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds, including three in the final 2 minutes, as the Lions topped No. 19 Michigan State 62-58 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State ended a three-game losing streak, improving its record to 10-12 (5-9 Big Ten).
The Lions, who trailed by 14 points in the second half, awoke to go on a 33-15 run to close out Shrewsberry's first win over a ranked opponent. Harrar drove that rally with nine points and three huge rebounds in late critical moments.
Harrar's offensive rebound led to Seth Lundy's go-ahead basket with 1:34 remaining, then Harrar followed his own missed shot with an offensive putback that led to a 3-point play, giving Penn State the lead for good.
The Lions went on an 8-0 run late in the second half, with Lundy scoring five of those points. Lundy led Penn State with 17 points, making five 3-pointers, while Harrar shot 7-for-12 from the field.
"Gritty, not pretty," Harrar said of the game, quoting his head coach, who has been singing his team's competitive bona fides all season. Shrewsberry this week noted that, despite its aggressive playing style, Penn State has attempted the fewest number of free throws in the Big Ten this season. It's something the coach clearly wanted to change.
So on Tuesday, Shrewsberry received his first technical foul as a head coach, a second-half call that energized both his team and the Bryce Jordan Center crowd.
"Tough loss for us, but we got what we deserved," said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who could have tied Bobby Knight for the Big Ten wins record (662).
Izzo praised Harrar for his effort and ethic, something opposing coaches have done for several years. Harrar even frustrated a Purdue assistant last year when he grabbed 14 rebounds against the Boilermakers.
Shrewsberry was that assistant who, upon becoming Penn State's head coach, furiously re-recruited Harrar to remain with his new program.
"John Harrar is the heart and soul of this group," Shrewsberry said before the season. He continued his praise after Tuesday's game.
"John is a warrior. He gives you everything he has," Shrewsberry said. "There is no, ‘Did John play hard tonight?’ Yes. John plays hard.
"That’s probably like a Twitter thing. I always see that: 'Did the Celtics win tonight? Yes.' Did John play hard? Of course, John played hard. He was in there battling by himself. We sent four guys back in transition, and John fought.
We could do that because there wasn’t a fear of John not sprinting back on defense every single time. He was going to go as hard as possible on the glass and run back as hard as he needs to. I talk about those clips that we're going to show of John. These will be some of them. You can play this hard. If John can do it, anybody can do it, right?"
The Lions received significant contributions from across the lineup. Jalen Pickett had 10 points and three of the team's seven steals, and Sam Sessoms had nine points and seven rebounds.
Then with 7 seconds left and Penn State leading by two, Dallion Johnson took the inbound pass and was fouled immediately. Though Johnson averages 12 minutes per game, he had taken just two free throws all season. But he made both, improving to 4-for-4, to give Penn State the final four-point cushion.
Noteworthy
Penn State beat a top-20 team for the first time since January 2021, when it topped No. 14 Wisconsin.
The Lions rallied from a 14-point deficit to win for the second time this season. They did so Jan. 5 against Northwestern.
Greg Lee did not play for the third straight game because of an injury.
Read more
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'I want to win and I want to win at Penn State,' John Harrar says
Transfer receiver Mitchell Tinsley making a strong first impression with the Lions
