Penn State Basketball hangs on against Furman to improve to 4-0

Penn State Basketball moves to 4-0 on the season after a close win in round one of the Shiner’s Children’s Charleston Classic

Penn State Basketball survived a second half charge by Furman, winning 73-68 on Thursday afternoon in Charleston.

It was a tale of two halves for the Nittany Lions. Penn State came out swinging in the first half, taking a 46-29 lead to the break. Jalen Pickett and Myles Dread led the way for Penn State in the first half, combining for 21 points in the opening half.

It looked like the Nittany Lions were on their way to another comfortable win, but this Furman team is talented and experienced and wasn’t going down without a fight.

Led by guard Mike Bothwell and his 26 points, Furman outscored Penn State 39-27 in the second half. The lead got as small as four points with just under five minutes remaining. That’s when Andrew Funk, who had not made a basket all day, hit a key 3-pointer to extend the lead back to seven.

Furman continued to push and closed the gap to just one point, 69-68, with 1:48 remaining in the game. Seth Lundy, who finished the game with 20 points, made a contested jump shot to extend the lead back to three.

Penn State played tough defense the rest of the way, denying Furman another point. Furman did get close though, as multiple 3-pointers rimmed out over the last minute of action.

Penn State basketball once again lived and died by the 3-pointer. The Nittany lions finished the game 11-27 from beyond the arc, but Penn State started the game 6-9 from deep and finished 5-18. The drastic difference in 3-point shooting did play a role in Furman’s comeback.

Penn State basketball moves on to the second round of the tournament, its opponent will be the winner of the Old Dominion/Virginia Tech game. Nearly blowing a 21-point lead is not what anyone wants to see, but a win is a win.