PENN STATE 62, Bucknell 58
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Nov. 28, 2015
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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Brandon Taylor scored 19 points, Payton Banks added nine and Penn State overcame an 8-point deficit over the final 5:30 to beat Bucknell 62-58 on Saturday.
Banks was quiet in the second half but drilled a 3-pointer with 23 seconds to play. It broke a 58-58 tie and secured the win for Penn State (3-2).
Chris Haas led Bucknell (3-3) with 18 points. Nine of them came over a 1:24 span that gave Bucknell its 8-point lead, the largest for either team, with 5:37 to play. But Haas missed what would've been the tying 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left. Taylor came down with the rebound, drew a foul and made a free throw to seal it.
Taylor was 6 of 15 from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds. Shep Garner added nine points for the Nittany Lions.
The game was back and forth before Haas got hot with 13 lead changes overall and was tied for 11:10.
After giving up 78 and 86 points in losses to Duquesne and Radford over their past two games, Penn State players spent the two practices leading up to Saturday's game working almost entirely on defense. It paid off, especially late when the Nittany Lions fueled a 13-1 run with strong defensive work.
The Nittany Lions notched four defensive rebounds, three blocks, a steal and pressured the Bison to force an 0-for-7 shooting slump to end the game.
The Bison put up some nice offensive numbers through their first four games, making 49.8 percent of their field goals and 37.9 percent of their 3-pointers while averaging 86.2 points per game. Penn State's defensive squeeze held them to 29.8 percent on field goals, 30 percent on 3-pointers and well below their scoring average.
The Nittany Lions improved to 78-25 against the Bison and have won 14 of the last 15 meetings. Three players had finished in double figures in each game for Penn State before Saturday when only Taylor notched double-digit points.
Up next, Penn State visits Boston College on Wednesday.