Jalen Pickett finished with 18 points and eight assists to guide Penn State to a 70-57 home victory over Lafayette on Friday evening in University Park, Pa.
Seth Lundy contributed 15 points and seven rebounds for the Nittany Lions (6-1), who held the Leopards to eight points in the first 13 minutes of the second half to pull away for the win. Camren Wynter chipped in 11 points for Penn State.
Leo O’Boyle led Lafayette (1-6) with 19 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. As a team, the Leopards shot just 31 percent from the field. CJ Fulton contributed 10 rebounds and five assists to go with five points.
Lafayette led 19-12 after about eight minutes had elapsed before Penn State drew even with seven straight points, including five by Pickett.
The teams were still tied, this time at 28-28 with six minutes left in the half, before the Nittany Lions unleashed a 14-4 run to close the session. Lundy and Pickett combined for all 14 of Penn State’s points during the burst, with Pickett’s late layup sending the hosts into the break with a 42-32 advantage.
Pickett finished the first half with 14 points and five assists, while Lundy added 10 points. The Nittany Lions shot 57.1 percent in the half (including 8 of 16 from 3-point range) and committed only three turnovers.
O’Boyle led Lafayette with 10 first-half points.
The second half got ugly in a hurry, as Penn State scored 15 of the first 17 points to go ahead 57-34. Five different Nittany Lions players scored during the run, with Andrew Funk and Wynter each draining a 3-pointer and Kebba Njie registering a three-point play.
T.J. Berger knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to get the visitors within 17, but Penn State responded with nine straight points — capped by Lundy’s 3-pointer — and the Leopards never seriously threatened again.
–Field Level Media
