Penn State found itself in a hole early and stayed there for most of the night, but the Nittany Lions still walked out of Buffalo with a 68-65 exhibition win over St. Bonaventure at KeyBank Center.
That finish came after a furious second-half rally, one that erased a 15-point deficit and flipped a game Penn State had trailed for all but 3:22. The comeback was real. So was the warning sign that came before it.
Two players expected to be in the mix for starting jobs - point guard Dasonte Bowen and power forward Roko Prkacin - did not suit up. Their absence wasn’t explained afterward, since Coach Rhoades wasn’t available to speak with the media.
Even with that caveat, St. Bonaventure controlled the opening stretch.
The Bonnies looked sharper, moved faster to loose balls and generally played like a group that was already more connected. They shot 55.2% from the floor in the first half, going 16-for-29, while Penn State managed just 34.6% on 9-for-26 shooting.
That edge showed on the scoreboard too: St. Bonaventure took a 36-25 lead into halftime.
Penn State’s one reliable first-half answer came from the perimeter. Roberts Blums hit two threes on his way to nine points off the bench, while Thomas Allard added two triples and Brant Byers knocked down one. Beyond that, the offense had trouble finding a rhythm.
The second half started with much of the same, but Penn State finally found its footing and began to chip away inside the chilly hockey arena. The Nittany Lions’ offense came alive, shooting 59% from the field in the final 20 minutes and 57% from 3-point range.
A big part of that push was Reed, who scored 14 of his 18 points after halftime. The fifth-year forward used his 6-foot-8 frame well, creating angles at the rim, drawing contact and getting to the line. Blums and Allard kept stacking threes, and Juric made his presence felt inside by attacking the paint and drawing fouls.
Penn State’s first lead didn’t come until 3:35 remained. Reed knocked down a jumper to make it 60-59, and from there the game tilted the Nittany Lions’ way.
Penn State locked in defensively and kept St. Bonaventure without a field goal over the final 1:49 of regulation.
For the second half, the Bonnies shot just 26% overall, finishing 6-for-23, and went 2-for-9 from long range.
The escape act showed plenty of perseverance and mental toughness from Penn State, especially in an away setting with mostly Bonnie fans in the building. But the sluggish start also made the point clear: that kind of inconsistency won’t fly against a strong Big Ten opponent, because the margin for error gets a lot smaller.
Reed led the Nittany Lions with 18 points, followed by Blums with 17, Allard with 12 and Juric with 10. Former Penn State player Mason Blackwood paced St. Bonaventure with 15 points.
Penn State’s second and final exhibition comes Monday, October 26, in Philadelphia against Drexel at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
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Penn State's Quarterback Debate Just Got Even More Frustrating
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Matt Campbell has made it clear he is not ready to make a change, even as fans and outside observers continue pushing for backup Alex Manske to get a look. For now, Penn State is staying the course at the games most important position, but the frustration around the offense is only growing with each mistake and each week that passes without a reset. [Read more 🡒]