Rutgers Game Grades

Story posted January 28, 2019 in CommRadio, Sports by Kevin McConlogue

Another game, another close loss for Penn State (7-13, 0-9) as the Nittany Lions fell to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (10-9, 3-6) 64-60 on Saturday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center. It was the seventh straight loss for Penn State who remains winless in conference play. Here are some grades from Saturday’s game.

Offense: C-

Another day, another poor shooting effort from the Nittany Lions, Penn State shot 35 percent for the game and 25 percent from 3-point range. Other than Lamar Stevens, this team can’t find anyone it can rely on for a bucket. Mike Watkins is hit-or-miss, Myles Dread was 4-of-14 shooting, Rasir Bolton still turns it over too much and Josh Reaves was in foul trouble. If this team wants to show any signs of improvement, it has to find a complement to Stevens.

Defense: C

The Nittany Lion defense has been strong at points this season. Saturday, they allowed the Scarlet Knights to grab 14 offensive rebounds and Rutgers seemed to grab every loose ball to keep possessions alive. John Harrar was a strong point on defense today, grabbing two offensive boards and altering shots. The story was the same as most of the season: they could not get a stop when it matters most.

Coaching: D

Being 0-9 in the Big Ten is one of the lowest points you can get as a program. Everyone continues to see the same things: too many turnovers, too many bad shots and the lack of a consistent second scorer behind Lamar Stevens. These mistakes have been going on for a while now and if they’re not fixed by now, I’m not sure if they ever will be. That falls on the coaching staff. 

 

 

Kevin McConlogue is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism with a minor in political science. To contact him email kpm5520@psu.edu.