MINNEAPOLIS – The 11th-seeded Penn State men's basketball team fell 61-59 to sixth-seeded Indiana in the second round of the Big Ten Men's Basketball tournament on Thursday night inside the Target Center.
In a game that saw 10 lead changes and nine tie scores, it was the Hoosiers who made the game's final basket with under five seconds to play. The Nittany Lions had a look at a game-winning shot as the buzzer rang, but the attempt fell just short.
Senior Puff Johnson led the Nittany Lions with 16 points and a career-best eight rebounds. Zach Hicks connected on three triples en route to his 11 points. The junior added five rebounds and a season-best three assists. Senior Ace Baldwin Jr. filled up the box score once again with nine points, six assists, five boards, a steal, and a career-best three blocked shots.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Nittany Lions were cold to start as Penn State was just one for its first 11 from the field and Indiana got out to an early 10-2 lead at the 14:11 mark.
- Back-to-back triples from D'Marco Dunn and Nick Kern Jr. got Penn State back in business before a jumper from Dunn knotted the score at 10-10 less than three minutes later.
- The Hoosiers answered with a 14-5 run over the next 5:12 as Penn State went ice cold from the field and Indiana claimed a nine-point lead at 24-15.
- A Zach Hicks four-point play and Demetrius Lilley dunk brought Penn State back to life as the Nittany Lions pulled within five at 26-21 with 4:28 left in the opening half.
- Four free throws from Qudus Wahab and a Nick Kern Jr. driving layup made it a 12-4 Penn State run as the Nittany Lions trimmed the Indiana lead down to just one at 28-27. The Hoosiers scored the final four points of the half, however, as Indiana took a 32-27 lead into halftime.
- An Ace Baldwin Jr. layup, Hicks 3-pointer and Puff Johnson three-point play helped Penn State open the second half on an 8-2 run as the Nittany Lions took their first lead of the game at 35-34 at 17:39.
- An Indiana layup momentarily gave the Hoosiers the lead back, but Kern Jr. answered right back with a triple that was followed by a Hicks four-point play to put Penn State in front 42-36 with 16:30 to play.
- Indiana responded with the next seven points to take the lead right back at 43-42 and force a Penn State timeout with 12:27 on the clock.
- Johnson answered with a dunk out of the timeout the game saw two lead changes and three tie scores in the next four minutes as neither team found any separation until Indiana used five free throws to put together a 7-2 run that gave the Hoosiers a 55-51 edge with 5:12 left to play.
- Free throws from Dunn and Johnson knotted the score at 55-55 as the clock wound under four at 3:56.
- Both teams continued to battle defensively through the final four minutes, with each team netting just one field goal apiece until an offensive putback by Anthony Leal with five seconds left lifted Indiana to the 61-59 win.
GAME NOTES
- Penn State finished Mike Rhoades' debut season with nine Big Ten wins, the second-most by a first-year head coach in program history.
- The Nittany Lions won a Big Ten Tournament game for the fourth-straight year.
- Puff Johnson finished with 16 points, a career-best eight rebounds and two steals.
- Zach Hicks dropped 11 points, including three more triples, against the Hoosiers, surpassing the 10-point plateau for the second consecutive tournament game.
- Ace Baldwin Jr. filled up the stat sheet once again, booking nine points, six assists, five rebounds, a steal, and a career-best three blocks.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Mike Rhoades, Ace Baldwin Jr. & Puff Johnson
UP NEXT
- Penn State advances to face third-seeded Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals Friday night at approximately 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
The 2023-24 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.