All good things must end, and Penn State basketball had its magical year come to a halt Saturday night in Des Moines in a 71-66 loss to Texas.
It was the Dylan Disu show in Iowa. The Texas forward, who came in averaging 8.5 points per game, scored 28 and added nine rebounds.
Sir’Jabari Rice added 13 points for Texas off the bench, and Marcus Carr added an even 10.
Penn State got off to a slow start and was down 9-4 at the first media timeout. Neither team got much done over the next 8+ minutes, and Texas led 13-11 at the under-8 timeout.
The teams both struggled offensively in the first half, and Texas went into halftime up 31-23. The team’s shot a combined 2-for-21 from 3 in the first half, with Penn State’s Myles Dread going 2-for-2 for the only treys of the first 20 minutes. Cam Wynter led Penn State in scoring with 10 points. Texas’ Dylan Disu led all scorers with 12 and added six rebounds.
At the first media timeout of the second half, Texas still had control of the game, leading by seven. Penn State continued to hang in, cutting the led to four, but a three by Sir’Jabari Rice right before the U8 timeout to put Texas up 55-48.
After a 10-0 run put Penn State ahead 58-55, Texas made it 58-57. Then, a bucked by Disu put Texas back in front. Disu scored another basket on Texas’ next possession to put Texas up by three. Marcus Carr put Texas up by five with lass than two minutes left, and with 56 seconds, Disu scored again to effectively put the game away.
For Penn State, five players scored in double figures, led by Cam Wynter with 16. But it wasn’t enough.
Now, the focus shifts to whether Penn State can keep its coach, Micah Shrewsberry. Shrewsberry made a name for himself this season, and as a result, big schools, such as Notre Dame and Georgetown, are reported to be interested. Whatever happens in the future, this year’s Penn State team will be remembered as winners.
