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January 9, 2018
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Back-to-back three-pointers by sophomore guards Tony Carr and Nazeer Bostick in the final nine seconds of the game pulled Penn State men's basketball within two points, but the Nittany Lions fell at Indiana 74-70. Carr led all scorers with 28 points and was one of three Nittany Lions with double-figure scoring.
"We're competing, we're going to compete that's for sure, but we're going to have to learn how to finish now," said Penn State men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers. "I give Indiana credit, they made their free throws. I don't think it was their last four minutes, (but) that first eight minutes, I thought they played terrific, that's where they really won the game. We never gave up, we competed until the very end, so there some positives I can take away from this game."
The last seven meetings between the two institutions have been decided by an average of less than four points per game.
Mike Watkins had his 15th career double-double with 12 rebounds and scoring all 10 of his points in the second half. Lamar Stevens scored nine of the first 11 Nittany Lion points and had 16 in the first period.
Penn State's defensive efforts helped spur the second-half comeback including forcing an Indiana shot clock violation and backcourt violation. The final 2:39 saw the Nittany Lions trade free throws with the Hoosiers, and battle for extra possessions.
Carr's three-pointer with nine seconds remaining gave Penn State its first field goal after scoring its last 11 points on free throws. Bostick drilled a trey from the right side with two seconds left to bring the score to 72-70, but Indiana made two free throws for the final margin.
Indiana jumped out to a 10-4 lead at the start of the game and was up by as many as seven points midway through the half.
The Nittany Lions took advantage of an 8-0 run while Indiana missed eight field goals and Penn State took a one-point lead 23-22 on a Stevens' jumper with 6:06 left in the first period. A Garner three started the spurt and four of Penn State's next six points came in the paint from Carr and Bostick.
Collin Hartman broke the Hoosiers' drought with a trey from the left corner which turned into a four-point play after a Nittany Lion foul. Stevens hit his first three of the night to knot the score at 27 with 4:26 remaining. Carr hit back to back jumpers for points eight and 10, but Penn State trailed 35-31 at the break.
Two quick fouls on Mike Watkins in the first half hampered Penn State's offensive efforts with 26 of the 31 first-half points coming from Stevens and Carr. The Nittany Lions had only one steal and had committed seven turnovers while Indiana had only two turnovers by the end of the first period.
Indiana's leading scorer Juwan Morgan had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead four other Hoosiers in double figures.
Tickets are available for the seven remaining Penn State home games including this weekend's Friday (Jan. 12) and Monday (Jan. 15) contests vs. Nebraska and Minnesota. The January 12 game has been designated the annual Coaches vs. Cancer game. 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.