Andrew Funk had the shootout of his career on Penn State’s biggest stage in more than two decades.
Funk made 8 of 10 3-pointers and scored 27 points Thursday night in a 76-59 win over Texas A&M for the Nittany Lions’ first NCAA Tournament win in 22 years.
Funk, in his first year at Penn State after transferring from Bucknell, led the Nittany Lions to their ninth win in their last 11 games. They will then play Texas in the Midwest Region second round on Saturday.
Penn State’s previous tournament win was their second-round loss to North Carolina in New Orleans in 2001. The Nittany Lions lost to Temple in the Sweet 16, losing again to the Owls when they returned to the tournament in 2011. .
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Jalen Pickett #22 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 16, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Texas A&M (25-10) had won 10 of 12 when it entered its first NCAA Tournament since 2018. The Aggies lost in the first round for the second time in nine appearances since 2006.
Dexter Dennis scored 19 points to lead A&M, which shot 34%.
Funk went 0-for-5-for-3 in the Big Ten championship game last weekend. But he made his first 3-pointer against the Aggies, missed his second and then scored six in a row. The streak ended when he airballed a desperate 3-pointer as the shot clock was running down.
Jalen Pickett, the biggest star at Penn State (23-13), played another big all-game with 19 points, eight assists, no turnovers and seven rebounds.
Penn State led 38-22 after outscoring the Aggies 28-10 to close out the first half. The Aggies hadn’t scored so few points in the first half since a win over Notre Dame on Nov. 24, 2021.
The Lions offense worked the way coach Micah Shrewsberry likes it, with the threat of 6-foot-10 Kebba Jjie at the post creating space on the perimeter for Funk, Myles Dread and Seth Lundy to do what they do best. Dread and Lundy each had two 3-pointers as Penn State finished 13-of-22 from distance.
Jalen Pickett #22 and Myles Dread #2 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrate after a play during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 16, 2023 in DesMoines, Iowa. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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The Aggies have had a tough time recently when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. Coach Buzz Williams was infamously upset when the Aggies went undrafted last year. This season they entered as the No. 7 seed, below what Aggie Fiel felt was fair.
BIG PICTURE:
Penn State: The Lions’ dominance in their first NCAA Tournament game since 2011 will only intensify the spotlight on second-year coach Shrewsberry, whose name has been linked with vacancies at Notre Dame and Georgetown.
Texas A&M: The Aggies’ first tournament appearance in five years ended the same way as the last: with a thud. They lost by 27 points to Michigan in the 2018 Sweet 16.
Andrew Funk #10 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts after a play during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 16, 2023 in Des Moines , Iowa. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Penn State will play Texas for the first time in men’s basketball.