Penn State Basketball Near Disaster

Penn State basketball near disaster

Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades walked into his team's locker room Thursday night after losing 62 points in the second half to Chattanooga.

Near second-half disaster

Penn State led by 23 points at halftime but allowed 62 points in the second half to Chattanooga, losing 97-93.

Josh Reed saves game

Forward Josh Reed scored 25 points with five rebounds and five steals to help Penn State win 97-93.

Defensive breakdown

Penn State allowed four field goals in the final nine minutes of play and struggled with Chattanooga's outside shooting.

Chattanooga's size advantage

Chattanooga scored 42 points in the paint despite Penn State's size advantage with at least three players over 6-7.

Coach Rhoades' concerns

Coach Rhoades said Penn State didn't guard the ball well and needed to help on defense.

“I think they made some adjustments to go on us quicker, attack certain matchups, put us in space, and i didn't think we guarded the ball well today.”

Chattanooga coach's comments

Chattanooga coach Dan Earl said his team played more aggressively after halftime.

“You still have to be aggressive, and i think the guys just kind of let go a little bit.”

Free throw success

Penn State went 43-for-49 at the free-throw line after drawing 33 fouls on Chattanooga.

Josh Reed's impact

Reed made 15 of 16 free throws to match his career high in points and was the team's anchor.

“He's our anchor. He's the vet here. He's been here before, and it's kind of expected from him.”

Roberts Blums injury

Penn State guard Roberts Blums will miss a couple weeks with a broken finger.

“Knowing rob, it could be tomorrow.”

Poor three-point shooting

Penn State shot 12-for-54 from three-point range (22.2 percent) since the exhibition game against Drexel.

Next game against Pitt

Penn State faces Pitt in Philadelphia at 8 p.m. Sunday inside the Palestra.