Terps can’t hold big lead, fall in final second
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Camren Wynter made a layup with less than a second remaining, capping Penn State’s rally for a 65-64 win over No. 21 Maryland in the regular-season finale.
“Right place at the right time,” Wynter said after the game. “The ball just came to me and I finished it.”
Penn State trailed by as many as 16 points late in the first half, and Wynter got his team back ahead in the second half with an underthe-hoop putback.
Jalen Pickett scored 16 points, Andrew Funk had 14 and Myles Dread had 11 for the Nittany Lions (19-12, 10-10 Big Ten), who ended a two-game losing streak to the Terps.
Jahmir Young scored 14 of his 26 points in the second half for Maryland (20-11, 11-9), which entered the afternoon looking to earn the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Julian Reese had 12 points for the Terps, while Don Carey and Ian Martinez added 11 each.
“Frustrated and angry because we worked hard,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said. “We’ve battled on the road, we just haven’t been able to finish.”
Penn State, which is looking to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011, made 17 of 29 shots — including 6 of 16 from 3-point range — in the second half. It also had a 17-5 run over the final five minutes.
“We’re starting to take some question marks away,” Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “We’re paying our best basketball right now. This is what we’ve ben aiming for all season. Now, let’s go have fun.”
Penn State jumped out to an early lead, but Maryland surged back with a 14-0 run that included five 3-pointers, including three from Martinez. At the same time, the Nittany Lions went cold for nearly eight minutes, going 0-for-10 from the field.
The Terps earned their biggest lead of the game with five seconds left in the half when Carey sank a jumper to make it 35-19.
Pickett cut it to 35-22 with a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
“I’m so proud of our guys,” Shrewsberry said. “We weren’t at our best. It took us a while. I think Pick’s 3 gave us a little bit of hope, a little bit of momentum going into halftime.”
Wynter’s chill
Wynter, a senior guard, transferred from Drexel, saying he believed the Nittany Lions could make an NCAA Tournament run.
He said that “the last couple of games ... the only thing that’s been on my mind is helping this team win so we can keep moving on.”
He’s had a knack for late-game heroics lately: Wynter also drained a buzzer-beating 3 in overtime at Northwestern on Wednesday.
Big picture
Maryland: The Terps entered the day with a chance to be seeded as high as second in the Big Ten Tournament, depending on how the rest of Sunday’s conference games shake out.
Penn State: Chances for an NCAA Tournament berth seemed to fade after coughing up a 19-point lead at home to Rutgers, but this win and a solid run through the Big Ten Tournament will give the Nittany Lions a shot to make their first NCAA appearance since 2011.