Around Penn State: Another Thriller at the Bryce Jordan Center
Penn State basketball scored back-to-back buzzer-beating victories at the Bryce Jordan, and the men's hockey team unleashed a scoring frenzy against Michigan.
Here's a quick roundup of Penn State sports heading into the football team's visit to Rutgers on Saturday.
Another Thriller at the BJC
Penn State won two last-second games at the Bryce Jordan Center in the span of 24 hours. One day after Myles Dread's buzzer-beating 3-pointer for the men's basketball team, Makenna Marisa made a layup as time expired to lift the women's basketball team over Rhode Island 70-69.
The victory gave the Lady Lions their first 3-0 start since 2017 and didn't come without a struggle. Penn State and Rhode Island traded lead changes four times in the 90 seconds, with Rhode Island taking a 69-68 advantage with 3 seconds remaining.
Marisa made a right-place, right-time play, scooping up a ball that was tipped away from Johnasia Cash for the winning layup. Marisa was supposed to set a screen for Cash to work through but then hustled to a loose ball at the last second.
"It was great," said Marisa, who scored a team-high 17 points. "Winning is such a great feeling, and I love this team so much. So winning with my teammates and them all celebrating with me was amazing."
Cash added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Kelly Jakot scored 11, her third game in double figures this season. Penn State also went 17 for 19 from the foul line.
“I’m just really proud of our composure," coach Carolyn Kieger said. "We didn’t play a great game, we have a lot of things we need to fix and a lot of teaching moments, but we kept our heads and kept our composure and came up huge at the end there."
Men's Hockey Team Gets a Needed Victory
Like Penn State's football team, the men's hockey team broke an 0-5 start with a 9-5 win over Michigan at Pegula Ice Arena. The Lions tied a Big Ten team scoring record in the victory over the No. 7 Wolverines, against whom they earned a series split.
Seven different players scored for Penn State, with Aarne Talvite and Bobby Hampton getting two apiece. Talvite opened the scoring just 47 seconds into the game.
Penn State needed the scoring burst, since its young roster has been allowing goals at a hot pace. The Lions' goals-against average (4.87) ranks last among Big Ten teams.
Penn State also scored four power-play goals. The Lions close the 2020 part of the schedule with games at home against Arizona State on Dec. 11 and 13.
Big Ten Start Times for Men's Basketball
Penn State announced tip-off times for its first three Big Ten men's basketball games:
Dec. 13: Penn State at Michigan, 2 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
Dec. 23: Illinois at Penn State, 6:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
Dec. 30: Indiana at Penn State, 8:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
The Lions (2-0) host Seton Hall at 8 p.m. Sunday, then head to Virginia Tech for their first road game in the ACC/B1G Challenge. That game is scheduled for 9 p.m. Tuesday.
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