What We Learned From Penn State Basketball's Lackluster Win Over Mercyhurst

Nittany Lions coach Mike Rhoades said he wants to see more toughness from his team.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades reacts from the bench during the first half against the Mercyhurst Lakers at Bryce Jordan Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State men’s basketball coach Mike Rhoades told his players that they get only so many opportunities to put on a uniform and play a game. He thought they needed that reminder after a “lackluster” win over Mercyhurst on Thursday.

The Nittany Lions improved to 3-1 with a 72-57 victory over the Lakers at the Bryce Jordan Center, but it wasn’t in commanding fashion. Even though Mercyhurst is the 316th-ranked team in KenPom, Rhoades had to call a timeout with 2:48 left because his players allowed a 3-pointer that made it a 63-57 game.

“Tonight's a real game,” Rhoades said. “Don't waste it. Don't regret it. I don't care who the opponent is, or you miss your first two shots, or you get in foul trouble. After the game, [it’s] ‘I gave it everything I got,’ or you have regrets. And I try to talk to our guys about eliminating the regrets.

“That's the part of not being ready to play or being lackluster that to me is you look back and say, ‘Man, I wish I had that one back.’ You don't get them back.”

The Nittany Lions survived by going on a 9-0 run to close out the game, but it’s still not the most promising result for a Big Ten team. Here’s what we learned about Penn State from its latest performance.

‘You want to see more’ 

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades looks on from the bench during the first half against the Mercyhurst Lakers at Bryce Jordan Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State did enough to win the game, but it was facing a Mercyhurst team that had only eight players available. Additionally, the Lakers were undersized compared to the Nittany Lions, who often had four players at least 6-7 on the court at the same time. Mercyhurst’s main contributors were all under 6-7.

“You want more,” Rhoades said. “You want to see more. You're demanding more. We had a good shootaround today. Guys were fired up to play, and then lackluster is the word I used to them after the game.”

Rhoades singled out point guard Dasonte Bowen. The coach said his message about taking advantage of the limited opportunities to play basketball especially applies to Bowen, who’s in his fifth and last year of his college career.

Bowen had seven assists with zero turnovers, but Rhoades believes the guard could’ve scored more than two points on 1-for-5 shooting. Rhoades said he wants his point guards to be aggressive downhill, make threes and “do it all.”

“We're not as tough as we need to be, but we're getting there,” Rhoades said. “Some guys are, other guys aren't yet, but it's not for the lack of caring or not wanting to be tough. Some of them have never been demanded to put their body on the line every day, and that's where we're getting to.”

Penn State needs more 3-point shooting opportunities

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Thomas Allard (14) holds the ball as Mercyhurst Lakers guard Hunter Te Ratana (5) defends during the first half of the game at Bryce Jordan Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mercyhurst slowed the game down, limiting Penn State to 61 possessions. The Nittany Lions typically have somewhere in the mid-70s during a game under Rhoades, who likes to play with more tempo.

This led to Penn State getting less 3-point volume than it could. The Nittany Lions shot the ball better, knocking down 6 of 11 3-pointers, but they need more attempts, something Rhoades addressed in the offseason. Regardless, it led to a better shooting day overall, as Penn State made 51 percent of its field goals.

Entering the game, Penn State was shooting 26.3 percent from 3-point range. Sharpshooter Brant Byers got open looks, but the shots weren’t falling as often as he would’ve liked. He made 3 of 5 3-pointers to score 14 points against Mercyhurst.

“I know I can make shots,” Byers said. “Me and [guard Thomas Allard] and coach [Clay] Conner been getting in every morning to get shots up, even during the season. I knew they were just going to fall at some point.”

It’s a concern that Mercyhurst managed to dictate the pace of play, but the better field-goal percentage is an encouraging sign. If that can translate when Penn State has more possessions and shoots better than 59 percent at the free-throw line, the team would perform better than it did Thursday. 

Ivan Jurić continues strong start to season

Penn State Nittany Lions forward Ivan Juric (3) holds the ball as Mercyhurst Lakers forward Cameron Johnson (3) defends during the second half of the game at Bryce Jordan Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State has played four games this season, and center Ivan Jurić has recorded a double-double in each. Even with Mercyhurst often doubling and sometimes tripling him, Jurić tallied 20 points and 15 rebounds.

“I would just say reading the game, passing the ball to my teammates, and if they pass the ball back to me, just stay patient and strong with the ball,” Jurić said when evaluating how he played. “I try not to turn it over and just make the right decision.”

Jurić shot 7-for-8 field goals against the Lakers, who wanted to put him in traps between defenders, Mercyhurst coach Gary Manchel said. Jurić often split through those traps because of his 7-0, 250-pound frame and his ability to be physical.

Jurić is averaging 16.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game this season. It remains to be seen whether the double-doubles show up in Big Ten action, but he played well against Pitt, finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

“He is sort of the connector on our team,” Rhoades said. “That's why we put him in different places. You see him catch the ball a lot in the mid-post and the elbows because he could really connect the dots and make plays for everybody and help everybody.”

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter, follow us on social media and add Penn State on SI as a Preferred Source on Google.