Penn State reached the NCAA Tournament by winning five consecutive nerve-rattling games. The Lions won their first NCAA Tournament game in 22 years with an unexpected rout.
Tenth-seeded Penn State uprooted Texas A&M, turning a 17-3 first-half scoring run into a 76-59 victory Thursday in a Midwest Region first-round game in Des Moines. The Lions (23-13) advanced to a second-round game Saturday against second-seeded Texas.
After the Aggies put on a dunk clinic during pre-game warmups, Penn State put on a 3-point shooting clinic. Andrew Funk set Penn State's NCAA Tournament record for points (27) and 3-pointers (eight) as the Lions won their first tournament game since 2001.
The Lions shot a bewildering 59.1 percent from 3-point range — it was 68.8 percent before a second-half slide — as Funk stretched his reach nearly to half court. He finished 8 for 10 from 3-point range before getting a late curtain call.
Point guard Jalen Pickett, meanwhile, drove the bus expertly, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. He played a dominant form of his trademark "booty ball," which Texas A&M expected and still couldn't stop.
Pickett reached peak-Pickett late in the first half with this blind-side feed under the basket. Texas A&M guarded him and Seth Lundy but forgot about Evan Mahaffey.
Penn State played a near-perfect second half of the first half, buckling the Aggies under a 17-3 run that Funk fronted with four 3-pointers. The Lions, Funk in particular, were lights-out from 3-point range, shooting 67 percent. Funk made 4 of 5, several from deep range.
The Lions lost no edge at halftime, as Kebba Njie dunked to open the second half and the 3-point shooters stayed hot. Penn State made five of its first six to start the half, with Funk ringing his first three, to begin the boatrace. Penn State led by 23 when the Aggies were rung up for an offensive foul before a media timeout. They stretched their lead to a high point of 26.
Penn State's 17-point margin of victory was its largest ever in the NCAA Tournament.
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