Penn State Basketball: ‘Big Shot’ Dread does it again!
By Evan Smith
Myles Dread hit the game winning three as time expired to give the Penn State Basketball a 72-69 win over visiting Virginia Commonwealth (VCU).
In a game where neither team lead by double digits, Penn State Basketball blew a late seven-point lead, but Jim Ferry’s Nittany Lions found themselves with the ball, nine seconds left and the game tied.
Izaiah Brockington brought the ball up rather slowly and the ball ended up in Myles Dread’s hand behind the arc just inside the baseline with a hand in his face. Dread, who hadn’t scored yet in the game, conjured up memories of his game-winner over Rutgers, found the bottom of the net, turned to the empty seats in the Bryce Jordan Center and the rest of the team mobbed him.
VCU was able to take advantage of PSU foul trouble (Dread, Lundy and Harrar all finished with four fouls, Wheeler with 3) by pounding the ball in the paint. Penn State won the rebounding battle (37-34) and continued their ability to force turnovers with nine more steals. Stats across the board were very even (FG% 41.0 – 44.4 to VCU, 3pt FG% 34.6 – 35.7 to VCU) but Penn State was able to make one last play to avoid overtime.
This was a clear step up in competition from VMI. As only a 4.5 point favorite, this game felt like two even teams fighting for respect in the middle of their conferences. With games vs Seton Hall (Sunday, 8:00 pm) an at #16 VT (to complete the 2020 sweep of Virginia schools) before opening conference play, this was a monumental win to keep momentum alive in this odd college basketball season.