UNIVERSITY PARK — Jalen Pickett scored 16 points with four assists, and Sam Sessoms made three 3-pointers, also scoring 16 points, as Penn State broke away from Wagner, 74-54, with a big second half on Wednesday night.
Six players scored at least eight points for the Nittany Lions (5-4), who broke a two-game losing streak. Though 11 players scored for Wagner (3-2) only Alex Morales reached double figures with a season-low 11.
John Harrar finished with 12 points and seven rebounds for Penn State, Seth Lundy added 10 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Wagner fought into four ties in the first half before Penn State closed on a 9-4 run to lead 32-27 at the break.
In the second half, Sessoms nailed a 3-pointer, sparking a 22-4 run over six minutes. The run was a mix of distance shooting from Sessoms, Lundy, Pickett and Myles Dread as well as a pair of Jalanni White dunks. Wagner missed six shots in a row and had three turnovers.
Morales broke the drought with a layup at the 6-minute, 52-second mark, a bit more than 10 minutes since his previous basket and the Penn State lead had grown from five points to 23.
Penn State made 10 3-pointers, and Wagner was 2-for-14 from behind the arc
Next, Penn State is at No. 19 Michigan State on Saturday.
