NIT: Penn State dominates Mississippi State to advance to championship
Penn State basketball continued its hot streak and carved its path to the championship of the NIT
Tuesday night was a dominating performance for Penn State on the hardwood. The Nittany Lions kept their win streak alive and reeled off a fourth straight victory while taking on the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The prize on the line was a trip to the NIT championship.
As has been the case recently, Penn State started strong and never looked back. Head coach Patrick Chambers once again had his squad ready to come out and compete. The blue and white-clad crowd that made the trip to Madison Square Garden had a lot to cheer about during the 75-60 victory.
A special member of the crowd was head football coach James Franklin, who has been at recent basketball games showing his support for Chambers and the program.
Still playing without big man and leading rebounder Mike Watkins, Penn State received double-digit performances from three starters.
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The backcourt duo of Tony Carr and Shep Garner proved too much for the Bulldogs to handle. Carr, the team’s leading scorer during the season, poured in a game-high 21 points. He also pitched in six rebounds and five assists.
Garner, who led the Big Ten in three-point shooting this year, became Penn State’s record holder for career three-pointers. Garner knocked down six of his nine shots from behind the arc and ended the game with 18 points.
Forward Lamar Stevens, coming off a 30-point game against Marquette, continued his solid play. He scored 17 points with eight rebounds.
As a team, Penn State was hot from the floor, converting on 50 percent of its field goals for the second straight game.
Mississippi State really struggled to score the basketball and shot just 39 percent from the field. Backup guard Tyson Carter contributed led the team with 19 points off the bench. Abdul Ado added 13 points and seven rebounds.
With the win, the Nittany Lions advance to Thursday’s championship game and will take on Utah. Penn State will be looking for its second NIT title in school history and the first since 2009. The game will air live from Madison Square Garden on ESPN.