Penn State Basketball: Poor Shooting Night Sinks Nittany Lions Against George Mason

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Penn State Nittany Lions struggled to score Wednesday night at home against George Mason.

Scoring has been a bit of an issue for Penn State basketball so far this season, and that was very evident Wednesday night. At home against the George Mason Patriots, the Nittany Lions shot just 36 percent from the field and managed just 66 points. That was below their already low season average of 72 points a game.

The Nittany Lions, looking for their fifth straight win, fell to George Mason 85-66. The win for the Patriots was their sixth consecutive victory.

Long scoring droughts have plagued Penn State all season. After starting strong Wednesday, there was a four-minute stretch in the first period in which the Nittany Lions failed to make a shot from the field.

Still, Penn State was able to carry a 38-37 lead into the break. Forward Payton Banks had a good start, going 5-8 from the field, including 4-6 from beyond the arc in the first half. His 16 first-half points led the Nittany Lions.

The second half was all George Mason. The Patriots came out hot and took the lead less than two minutes in. They never looked back from there, as Penn State failed to retake the lead. The Nittany Lions had a chance, getting as close as two points with just over 13 minutes to go, but that’s when things really fell apart.

George Mason blew the game open by staying hot from the field. The Patriots shot 50.8 percent for the game. They also held a huge advantage on the boards, out-rebounding the Nittany Lions 44-29.

Marquise Moore paced the Patriots with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Otis Livingston II added 18 points.

Penn State was led by in scoring by Banks, who poured in 21 points. Shep Garner and Lamar Stevens tied for second on the team with 13 points. Stevens led the team with eight boards.

The Nittany Lions will next take the floor in a big matchup with Pitt on December 10 in the Never Forget Tribute Classic. The game will tip at 2:00 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.