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January 20, 2018
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Northwestern took advantage of 11 second-chance points in the second half and came away with a 70-61 win over Penn State at Allstate Arena.
The Nittany Lions held a 55-51 lead after Stevens hit a jumper at the 10:37 mark of the second half, but Penn State's final six points after that point came off free throws.
PSU kept the lead for another five minutes after Stevens' basket, but Wildcat Dererk Pardon scored on three-straight possessions down the stretch. His six points sparked an 11-0 Northwestern run, as the Wildcats added a field goal, three-pointer and a quartet of free throws for the final margin.
"I thought we played a great 35 minutes, we were right there," said Penn State men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers. "Any time you are on the road against a senior-led team, you want to be in the game. We were in the game, but we have to execute."
The Northwestern run, while Penn State continued to struggle from the field, swung the game from a four-point Nittany Lion lead to 66-59 in favor of the Wildcats.
Shep Garner connected on six three-pointers, a Big Ten best for the senior guard, who finished with a game-high 22 points. Lamar Stevens had 13 points, while Mike Watkins, Tony Carr and Nazeer Bostick contributed eight each.
For the game, Northwestern had a 17-4 advantage on second-chance points and scored nine second-half points off Penn State miscues. The Wildcats had 32 rebounds, 16 each on the offensive and defensive side for a +7 margin over the Nittany Lions' 25.
Four Wildcats had double figures in points with Vic Law scoring 18 and leading Northwestern for the second consecutive game. Law and Scottie Lindsey each had five rebounds to share the Wildcat top total.
Penn State shot 68.2 percent in the first half as Penn State held off the Wildcats' late period surge. Law hit a three-pointer with 5:10 before the break to give Northwestern its first lead at 24-23. Stevens responded with back-to-back jumpers for the Nittany Lions for the lead and then to tie the game at 27.
Carr tied up the game again at 29 slicing through the lane for a layin and Garner's two three-pointers in the final 1:49 kept the Nittany Lions ahead into the break 35-33.
The 22-point outing for Garner marked his 17th career game with 20 or more points and his highest total against Big Ten competition since having 24 vs. Rutgers on February 4, 2017.
Penn State will play the second of its two road games in this stretch at Ohio State on Thursday, January 25. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network with an 8 p.m. tipoff time.
Tickets are available for the five remaining Big Ten home games including the annual THON game vs. Rutgers on Saturday, January 27. For more information on purchasing tickets, visit gopsusports.com/tickets/m-baskbl-tickets.html.
Keep up to date with the latest information from Coach Patrick Chambers and the Nittany Lions on Twitter by following @Coach_Chambers and @PennStateMBB, liking the team's page on Facebook and following the team Instagram account at @PennStateMBB.