Jalen Pickett goes for 41, Penn State rolls Illinois
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[February 15, 2023]
Jalen Pickett poured in a Big Ten season-high 41 points
and handed out eight assists that led to 21 more points as
hot-shooting Penn State drilled Illinois 93-81 on Tuesday night in
University Park, Pa.
Pickett canned 15 of 20 shots from the field as he produced the
second-highest scoring output of his five-year career -- trailing
only his 46-point outburst as a Siena freshman against Quinnipiac on
Feb. 17, 2019.
Seth Lundy added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Nittany Lions
(15-11, 6-9) as they converted 10 of 18 3-pointers in the first half
and shot 57.9 percent from the field for the game to sweep the
season series from Illinois. The Nittany Lions claimed a 74-59 win
on Dec. 10 in Champaign, Ill.
Terrence Shannon Jr. paced Illinois (17-8, 8-6) with 20 points
before fouling out. Jayden Epps and Coleman Hawkins added 12 points
apiece, but the Illini shot just 26 percent from 3-point range
(7-for-27).
Penn State broke to a 22-13 lead as Pickett scored nine points and
the Nittany Lions hit nine of their first 13 shots. Pickett went to
the bench for a rest and Illinois promptly scored six points in a
row, so Pickett returned to the fray and set up Lundy for a
3-pointer before scoring eight straight points to rebuild a 33-24
lead with 8:46 to go.
When Pickett swished a 3-pointer from the wing to give Penn State a
47-33 lead with 2:51 left in the first half, he reached 20 points
for the night and 2,001 points for his five-year career.
[to top of second column] |
Feb 14, 2023; University Park,
Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard/forward Seth Lundy
(1) dunks the ball during the first half against the Illinois
Fighting Illini at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew
OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
When the officials ruled Coleman Hawkins goaltended
Pickett's scoop at the halftime buzzer, he had 24 points and Penn
State owned a 53-40 lead at the break.
Illinois scored seven points in the first two minutes of the second
half to pull within 54-47, but Penn State kept blazing away. Pickett
cashed a step-back jumper and a driving layup on back-to-back
possessions to give the Nittany Lions a 68-55 lead with 14:22 to
play.
Illinois never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.
--Field Level Media
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