New York City, N.Y.- The Penn State Nittany Lions cruised past Mississippi State 75-60 to advance to the NIT championship game Thursday against Utah. The team was clicking on both ends, shooting 49% from the field, while also holding their opponents to less than 40%.
Tony Carr led the way for the lions with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, including shooting 50% from the 3 point line. Tyson Carter had 19 to lead all scorers for the Bulldogs.
This game was a clinic on how to play two-way basketball from the Lions. When it seemed like it would be a tight one after a low scoring opening period, Penn State turned up the pressure. They led 18-11 after the first period and never looked back, including leading 19 at the half.
Penn State forced 11 turnovers from Mississippi State. They also forced the Bulldogs into shooting 20% from the 3-point line while outscoring them 33-9 from deep.
The Lions also made history while punching their ticket to the NIT Championship. Shep Garner hit 6 3-pointers to break Pete Lisicky’s career 3-point record at Penn State. In his last two games at the World’s Most Famous Arena, he has hit 12 total 3-pointers. Garner shared his thoughts on his hot shooting post game.
“I enjoy playing here. Playing here, it’s a lot of fans, and we’ve been here in a tournament, so it’s big games, win-or-go-home situations. I mean, I’m going to play big in the Garden.”
Now attention turns to the Utah Utes in the NIT Championship game Thursday at Madison Square Garden.