Nittany Lions Earn Gutsy 74-59 Road Win Over No. 17 Illinois

CHAMPAGNE, ILL. Great teamwork and strong three-point shooting led the Penn State men’s basketball team to a 74-59 road victory over No. 17 Illinois on Saturday afternoon at the State Farm Center.

Penn State held a nine-point halftime lead and held off several Illinois runs in the second half while shooting 50.0 percent (12-24) from 3-point range to earn a dominant road win.

Andrew Funk and Jalen Pickett scored 20 points to lead four of his Nittany Lions in double figures. Funk was 6-9 from deep, while Pickett added seven rebounds and six assists to round out his strong overall performance. Seth Lundy The final result was 16 points and seven rebounds Myles Dread won five threes for 15 points.

HOW DID IT HAPPEN

• Both teams got off to a hot start, going a combined 9-11 from the field through the first four minutes as Illinois held an early 13-11 edge in the first media timeout.
• The Illini worked their lead to 19-14 after a 6-0 run that ended at the 11:49 mark, but Penn State answered quickly. Seven points from Pickett, a Lundy driving layup and a Dread transition 3-pointer capped a 12-5 Nittany Lion run that put Penn State ahead 26-24 with 7:47 left in the first half.
• The score was tied at 30-30 two minutes later, but the Nittany Lions took the final 3-plus minutes of the first half on a 13-4 run. Penn State was 4-for-4 from the field and 4-for-4 at the charity stripe as Pickett scored seven of Penn State’s 13 points and the Nittany Lions held a 47-38 halftime lead.
• Andrew Funk nailed his third 3-pointer of the game and Pickett drained a floater in the lane to open the second half and push Penn State’s lead to double digits, 52-38.
• Illinois scored the next nine points as Penn State went scoreless for nearly six minutes, and the Illini got back within five at 52-47.
• Funk hit a 3-pointer on a layup as the shot clock expired before nailing another 3-pointer on Penn State’s next possession. Dread followed with his fourth win of the night as Penn State went on a 9-0 run in just 1:31 to grab the momentum and take a 61-47 lead with 11 minutes to play.
• The Nittany Lion run was stretched to 14-0 after a media timeout following a Funk jumper and Dread’s fifth triple of the night as Penn State stretched its lead to 66-47 with 9:41 left on the clock.
• The Illini responded with a 7-0 stretch over the next four minutes to breathe life back into the building as Illinois pulled within 66-54 and the crowd roared.
• Lundy converted a 3-pointer to stop the Illinois run, and Funk followed with a dagger for his sixth 3-pointer of the night to put Penn State up 74-56 with just under four minutes to play.
• The Illini would never recover as the Penn State defense held Illinois to just one field goal in the final three minutes and the Nittany Lions pulled out a 74-59 win.

GAME NOTES

• Penn State defeated a top-20 Big Ten team on the road for the first time since February 4, 2020 (75-70 at No. 16 Michigan State).
• Penn State earned its first true road win since Jan. 5, 2022 (74-70 at Northwestern).
• The Nittany Lions handed #17 Illinois their first home loss of the season and their biggest loss of the season. The Illini, who just beat #2 Texas on Tuesday, haven’t lost a game by double digits this season.
• The Penn State defense held Illinois (59) to 22.3 points below its season average of 81.3 points. The Nittany Lions limited the high-flying Illini to 44.2 percent (23-52) from the field and 30.4 percent (7-23) from deep.
• After shooting an unusually low 30.2 percent (19-63) from three-point range in the last two games against Clemson and Michigan State combined, Penn State shot 50.0 percent (12-24) from downtown in the win against Illinois. It was the second time this season the Nittany Lions finished a game with 50 percent or better shooting from deep.
• Andrew Funk and Jalen Pickett each scored 20 points, marking the third time this season that two Nittany Lions have reached 20 points in the same game.
• Pickett filled the stat sheet once again, finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. It’s the fourth straight game he’s finished with double-digit points and five or more rebounds and assists.
• Andrew Funk (6) and Myles Dread (5) marked the first pair of Nittany Lions to register at least five 3-pointers in the same game since 11/22/2021 vs. Cornell, when Sam Sessoms (6) Seth Lundy (5) did so.
• Funk and Dread both tied season highs in three-pointers.

NEXT

• The Nittany Lions have a week off for final exams before returning to non-conference play with a home game against Canisius on Sunday at noon at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The 2022-23 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.