MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Penn State men's basketball team (12-5, 2-4) battled Minnesota (10-7, 4-3) in a tough Big Ten road game as the Golden Gophers defeated the Nittany Lions 75-69 on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Three Nittany Lions scored in double figures with freshman forward Seth Lundy and sophomore guard Myreon Jones each with 15 points and senior forward Lamar Stevens had 14. Lundy's 15 points in his first career start were a career high.
Golden Gophers Marcus Carr and Daniel Oturu combined for 53 points with Carr with 27 and Oturu with 26. Oturu had a game-best 14 rebounds for a double-double.
"Obviously, Oturu and Marcus played great, they are the one and two on every scouting report, they still find a way to score, and they almost played 40 minutes a game…really impressive what they did tonight," said Penn State men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers. "First half was kind of up and down and the second half was kind of a rock fight. I'm proud of my team, I thought we competed on the road in a difficult environment…We'll keep working, (there's) a lot to learn and we're going to keep growing."
The second half bore little resemblance to the first half. The Nittany Lions shot 60 percent in the first period with 18 field goals and zero turnovers to take a two-point lead, 46-44, to the locker room. Neither team shot well in the second half with Minnesota at 32.3 percent and Penn State at 24.1 percent with only one 3-pointer, made in the final 17 seconds.
Coming out of the break, Penn State scored on its first five possessions for an eight-point lead, 56-48. Minnesota chipped away at the lead, getting second-chance points and converting free throws. Oturu tied the game at 59 at 10:50 and then Alihan Demir's layup gave the Golden Gophers their first lead, 61-59, since the 7:08 mark of the first half.
The Nittany Lions' scoring struggles continued, first with no field goals over an 11-minute stretch as their three points came off free throws. A Lamar Stevens' layup that would have tied the game at 61 circled out, and Penn State remained without a basket until Myreon Jones hit a jumper at the 5:28 mark. Despite the scoring woes, the Nittany Lions were down only three, 64-61.
Oturu scored the next seven points for Minnesota to extend the Gophers' lead to 71-64 with 1:52 remaining. Minnesota added three more points off a Carr fast-break score and free throw.
Sophomore guard Izaiah Brockington made two free throws and Curtis Jones Jr. knocked in a 3-pointer to bring the score to 74-69 with 17 seconds left. The Nittany Lion defense locked in to try and gain additional offensive possessions, but a final free throw by Oturu gave Minnesota the 75-69 final.
Minnesota had a 22-11 advantage on the boards at the break and dominated on the boards in the second half for a 48-32 tally. Penn State had a season-low six turnovers and had 19 points from Brockington, Curtis Jones Jr., and Mike Watkins off the bench.
Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center for its annual THON game at noon on Saturday, Jan. 18 vs. No. 21 Ohio State.
For more information about single-game tickets or the mobile flex plan for men's basketball, visit the online ticket information page or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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