Keith Got Mad: Penn State 73, Duquesne 67

What did we learn tonight, folks? Well, when the game is tied, maybe don’t get a technical (and then yourself ejected) because you might cost your team the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED

While Duquesne controlled the game for much of the first half, it was a pretty evenly played affair for the majority of the first 20 minutes. Up until a three-pointer made by Eric Williams Jr. with just seconds remaining on the clock, no team had more than a four-point advantage one way or the other.

So while the Dukes went into the half up by seven, there were certainly some good things to takeaway from Penn State’s perspective — one being, the terrific shooting of Myles Dread. The Nittany Lions’ true freshman was 3-of-4 on three-point attempts, so while much of the offense looked a little “meh,” there was some hope that Dread’s shooting would open things up a little more in the second half.

While the Nittany Lions certainly played better in the second half, there was only one story of the final frame: Keith. Dam. Brot. With the game tied 67-67 and under 10 seconds left, Lamar Stevens drove to hole, and ended up picking up a foul. Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot was not happy, and ended up being called for a technical foul. From there, well, he really let the refs have it, getting assessed another technical and getting ejected from the game in the process.

To Penn State’s credit, they made all six free throws — the four technicals by Rasir Bolton and the two regular shots by Lamar Stevens — to completely ice the game, giving the Nittany Lions a nice 73-67 road victory.

FOUR FACTOR ANALYSIS

The free throw rate discrepancy was even more in Duquesne’s favor when you consider Penn State had six free throws in the last 5-ish seconds of the game. But still, the free throw variance was masked by how dominant the Nittany Lions were on the offensive glass.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Thank you, Keith.

LOOKING AHEAD

Penn State will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide this Friday at 9 p.m. Led by Avery Johnson, the Crimson Tide sit at 7-3 with losses to Northeastern, UCF, and Georgia State.