Penn State Dominates Texas A&M to Continue March Madness
Andrew Funk had the best shooting game of his career Penn State The biggest stage in over two decades.
Funk made 8 of 10 three-pointers and scored 27 points on Thursday night in a 76-59 win over the club. Texas A&M for the Nittany Lions’ first NCAA tournament win in 22 years.
Funk, in his first year in Pennsylvania since moving from Bucknell, led the Nittany Lions to their ninth win in their last 11 games. They will then play Texas in the second round of the Midwest on Saturday.
Penn State’s previous victory in the tournament was a second-round loss to North Carolina in New Orleans in 2001. The Nittany Lions lost to Temple in the Sweet 16 and lost again to the Owls when they returned to the tournament in 2011.
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No. 22 Jalen Pickett of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Wells Fargo Arena on March 16, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
Texas A&M (25-10) has won 10 of 12 tournaments. NCAA Tournament since 2018. Aggie lost in the first round for only the second time in nine matches since 2006.
Dexter Dennis scored 19 points to lead A&M with 34%.
Funk was 0 for 5 for 3 in the Big Ten championship game last weekend. But he hit his first 3-pointer against Aggie, missed his second, and then hit six in a row. The streak ended when he potted the balloon on a desperation count of 3 as the shot clock expired.
Jalen Pickett, Penn State’s biggest star (23-13), had another strong all-around game with 19 points, eight assists, no losses and seven rebounds.
Penn State led 38-22 after outscoring Aggie 28-10 to close out the first half. Aggie hasn’t scored this low in the first half since their win over Notre Dame in November. 24, 2021.
The Lions offense went exactly the way coach Mick Shrewsberry likes it, with the 6’10” Kebba Gigi threat in post, creating space on the perimeter for Funk, Miles Dred and Seth Lundy to do what they do best. Total. Dred and Lundy had two triples each, with Penn State finishing 13 of 22 over the distance.
No. 22 Jalen Pickett and No. 2 Miles Dred of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrate a second-half victory against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Wells Fargo Arena on March 16, 2023. Des Moines, Iowa. (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
Aggie has been having a tough time lately when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. Trainer Buzz Williams was infamous when Aggie wasn’t selected last year. This season they took first place. Seed 7, lower than Aggie’s faithful felt right.
BIG PICTURE:
Penn State: The Lions’ dominance in their first game of the NCAA Tournament since 2011 will only heighten the spotlight on sophomore Shrewsberry, whose name has been linked to openings at Notre Dame and Georgetown.
Texas A&M: Aggie’s first tournament appearance in five years ended the same way as the previous one, with a thud. They lost to Michigan by 27 points in the 2018 Sweet 16.
#10 Andrew Funk of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts after a first-half game against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Wells Fargo Arena on March 16, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
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