On Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m., Pitt and Penn State mens’ basketball teams were ready to play. Going into the game, Pitt was undefeated and Penn State was 6-2. This is the first time Pitt and Penn State had met on the court since 2005.
The game started off like any other, the fans as excited as ever and both teams ready to play. The game started with Penn State player, Tim Frazier, who gave Penn State a early lead in the game. Both teams were adding points to the board. Penn State had a 39-33 lead going into the half.
Coming out of the half, Pitt raced on the court. Pitt consistently passed the ball to Talib Zanna, a senior, who Penn State could not keep up with. With 5:14 left, the game was tied at 59 points, but by the end of the game, Pitt pulled ahead and ended up beating Penn State 78-69.
Penn State had some key players to help them keep up with Pitt. Tim Frazier is a redshirt senior, who was returning from his Achilles injury which put him on the bench for all of last season. This was the first time that a redshirt senior had been on a game televised by ESPN. Frazier led all with 27 points and 3 assists.
Pitt also had key players to help pull into the lead. Talib Zanna is a redshirt senior from Nigeria. He is a forward that Penn State could not keep up with. Overall, he played a well-rounded game against Penn State.
Pitt and Penn State met on the court on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Even though Pitt and Penn State were big rivals, the game was very civilized; both teams played well, and hopefully, they will meet on the court again soon.