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| PENN STATE VS. NORTHWESTERN |
|
|
63
|
78 |
|
1st Half |
2nd
Half |
Final |
| Northwestern |
34 |
29 |
63 |
| Penn State |
41 |
37 |
78 |
|
|
|
| STAT COMPARISON |
PSU |
NU |
| Field Goal Pct. |
54.5 |
37.1 |
| Field Goals |
30-55 |
23-62 |
3-Point Field Goal Pct.
|
23.1 |
39.3 |
| 3-Point Field Goals |
3-13 |
11-28 |
| Free Throws |
15-23 |
6-6 |
| Rebounds |
40 |
27 |
| Assists |
15 |
11 |
| Turnovers |
16 |
15 |
| Steals |
9 |
8 |
| Blocks |
8 |
2 |
|
|
January 5, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State sophomore forward Lamar Stevens scored a career-best 30 points and set the Bryce Jordan Center men's basketball record for field goals with 14 in the Nittany Lions' 78-63 win over Northwestern. Redshirt sophomore Mike Watkins recorded his 13th career double-double with 18 points and tied his career-best with 17 rebounds.
Stevens and Watkins shot a combined 10-11 from the field early in the game as the Nittany Lions were 17-24 in the first period for 70.8 percent, the highest field goal percentage for a half in 11 seasons. Penn State finished the game with a field goal percentage of 54.5, the sixth time recording a percentage above 50.
"I thought our guys really responded after Maryland," said Penn State men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers. "Sometimes a loss like that, where you're winning for 36 minutes and you come up short, it can fracture a young team and that's something we talked about for two days -- about toughness, about will, and about just taking little steps. We don't have to take a big, giant step. That's not how this works. (We can) take small steps and continue to fight and compete on every possession."
The Nittany Lions benefited from their impressive field goal percentage in the first half and had a 41-34 halftime lead, but fought through their dry spells while fending off a persistent Wildcat attack.
A 10-2 Northwestern run early in the second half pulled the Wildcats within three, but Penn State responded with a 9-0 run of its own to take a 12-point lead, 56-44. Back-to-back three-pointers by Wildcats Jordan Ash and Vic Law cut the deficit to six, but a basket by Stevens and steal by senior guard Shep Garner and put-back dunk by Josh Reaves put the Nittany Lions up 60-50.
Dererk Pardon's layup trimmed the lead back to eight, but Stevens countered with a layup to give Penn State a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
The Nittany Lions dominated in the points in the paint 48-18 statistic and earned the rebound advantage 40-27. Northwestern connected for a total of 11 three-point baskets, an opponent 2017-18 season high.
Stevens became the 45th Nittany Lion to record 30 or more points in a game. He now has 10 career games in which he has scored 20 or more points. Sophomore guard Tony Carr had 12 points as the third Nittany Lion in double figures.
Watkins had 17 rebounds for the second-straight game and added four blocks to his stat line. Carr and freshman guard Jamari Wheeler each had five assists, marking a career-best for Wheeler, who also had a team-high three steals.
Penn State Wildcat senior guard Bryant McIntosh, who missed Northwestern's last game with an injury, returned for the Wildcats and led them with 18 points. He was the only Wildcat to score in double figures. Law had team-best totals of six rebounds and five assists.
Penn State plays next at Indiana at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9. The Nittany Lions' and Hoosiers' only meeting this year will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
Tickets are available for the seven remaining Penn State home games including next weekend's Friday (Jan. 12) and Monday (Jan. 15) contests vs. Nebraska and Minnesota. Visit gopsusports.com/tickets/m-baskbl-tickets.html for more information
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.
