Nittany Lions’ Comeback Falls Just Short Vs. Indiana

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team held Indiana without a field goal for the final 3:58 of the game, but couldn't pull off the comeback in the Nittany Lions' Big Ten Conference opener, falling 64-62 to the Hoosiers (7-2, 2-0) Tuesday night. Freshman guard Rasir Bolton scored 17 points to lead Penn State while junior forward Lamar Stevens had his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Down 11 points in the second half, Penn State (4-4, 0-2) battled back behind nine points from Bolton with 3:58 remaining in the game, but a missed layup and turnover secured the win for Indiana in the final seconds.
 
Freshman guard Myles Dread also contributed 12 points while senior guard Josh Reaves had seven rebounds and a game-high five steals. Wheeler had a career-best eight rebounds.
 
The two teams matched in total field goals and free throws, but Indiana had seven 3-pointers to five for the Penn State. The Nittany Lions struggled from the free throw line in the first half, going 4-14 from the line and finished the game 11-26.
 
Indiana held the lead throughout the second half after taking a 34-30 score into the locker room. Penn State cut the deficit to four twice, first at 7:40, down 54-50, before Rob Phinisee scored the Hoosiers' next seven points to go up 61-52.
 
The lead was trimmed to four again with 1:23 left in the game as Bolton hit a triple, then added two free throws before getting a basket off a Jamari Wheeler steal. Bolton's final layup with 22 seconds left put the Nittany Lions down by only two, 64-62.
 
The Nittany Lions recorded 12 steals for the second-straight game with nine coming in the second half as they clamped down defensively on the Hoosiers. Indiana had 16 total turnovers, 11 in the second period.
 
Penn State ran out to a 9-0 lead, holding the Hoosiers without any points for the first four minutes and a half of the contest. Back-to-back 3-point baskets by Devonte Green tied the game at 10 and his assist on Juwan Morgan's layup tied the game again at 15.
 
Indiana pulled out to a six-point lead as freshman Romeo Langford accounted for 10 of the Hoosier's 13 points over a four-minute stretch before halftime. He finished with a share of the scoring lead with 15 of his 17 points coming in the first half.
 
Penn State returns to nonconference play Saturday, Dec. 8 vs. Colgate. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
 
For information or to purchase Penn State men's single-game tickets, visit  GoPSUsports.com/mbbsinglegametix or call 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
 
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