Hot-shooting Funk leads Penn St. to first NCAA win since 2001

DES MOINES,Iowa (AP) — Andrew Funk had the shooting game of his career on PennState’s biggest stage in over two decades.

Funk made 8of 10 3-pointers and scored 27 points Thursday night in a 76-59 winover Texas A&M for the Nittany Lions’ first NCAA Tournamentvictory in 22 years.

Funk, in hisfirst year at Penn State after transferring from Bucknell, led theNittany Lions to their ninth win in their last 11 games. They nextplay Texas in the second round of the Midwest Region onSaturday.

Penn State’sprevious tournament win was its second round upset of NorthCarolina in New Orleans in 2001. The Nittany Lions lost to Templein the Sweet 16, and they lost to the Owls again when they returnedto the tournament in 2011.

Texas A&M(25-10) had won 10 of 12 as it entered its first NCAA Tournamentsince 2018. The Aggies lost in the first round for only the secondtime in nine appearances since 2006.

Dexter Dennisscored 19 points to lead A&M, which shot 34%.

Funk was 0for 5 on 3s in the Big Ten championship game last weekend. But hemade his first 3-pointer against the Aggies, missed his second, andthen hit six in a row. The streak ended when he put up an air ballon a desperation 3 as the shot clock was running out.

JalenPickett, the biggest star for Penn State (23-13), played anotherstrong all-around game with 19 points, eight assists, no turnoversand seven rebounds.

Penn Stateled 38-22 after outscoring the Aggies 28-10 to close the firsthalf. The Aggies hadn’t scored so few points in a first half sincea win over Notre Dame on Nov. 24, 2021.

The Lions’offense ran just the way coach Micah Shrewsberry likes it, with thethreat of 6-foot-10 Kebba Jjie in the post creating space on theperimeter for Funk, Myles Dread and Seth Lundy to do what they dobest. Dread and Lundy had two 3s apiece and Penn State finished 13of 22 from distance.

The Aggieshave had trying times recently when it comes to the NCAATournament. CoachBuzz Williams was infamouslymiffedwhen the Aggies weren’t selected last year. Thisseason they came in as a No. 7 seed, lower than Aggie faithful feltfair.

BIGPICTURE

Penn State:The Lions’ dominance in their first NCAA Tournament game since 2011will only intensify the spotlight on second-year coach Shrewsberry,whose name has been connected to openings at Notre Dame andGeorgetown.

TexasA&M: The Aggies’ first appearance in the tournament in fiveyears ended the same way as the last one — with a thud. They lostby 27 points to Michigan in the 2018 Sweet 16.

UPNEXT

Penn Statewill play Texas for the first time in men’s basketball.