UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – It was a tale of two halves as the Penn State men's basketball team dropped an 83-74 decision to Minnesota Saturday night inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Nittany Lions owned a 45-31 halftime lead, but Minnesota shot 58.6 percent from the field in the second half to come back and hand Penn State just its third loss inside the Bryce Jordan Center this season.
Ace Baldwin Jr. led Penn State with 16 points and six assists. Qudus Wahab finished with 15 points and five boards. Kanye Clary and Nick Kern Jr. tallied 11 points apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Gophers were strong to start, getting out to a 16-10 lead just under seven minutes into the game. Minnesota maintained a six-point lead at 24-18 before Penn State put together a half-defining run beginning at the 8:33 mark.
- The Nittany Lions erupted for a 22-2 streak over a 5:43 span as Penn State went 8-for-11 from the field and held the Gophers to a 1-for-6 clip with four turnovers. Demetrius Lilley scored eight points during the run, while Nick Kern Jr. tallied six points as Penn State turned its six-point deficit into a 14-point lead at 40-26 with 2:50 left to play in the first half.
- The teams scored five points apiece in the final 2:16 of the half as Penn State carried a 45-31 lead into halftime.
- After a Kanye Clary jumper to open the second half, Minnesota put together a 12-0 burst over a 2:35 stretch to suddenly pull within four at 47-43 under three minutes into the second frame.
- Penn State clung to a 52-50 lead before the Gophers used a 6-0 stretch to take a lead for the first time since the first half at 56-52 with 13:05 to play.
- The Minnesota edge reached as much as seven at 68-61 with 6:16 to play. Ace Baldwin Jr. drilled a triple at the 5:49 mark and its was immediately followed by a Zach Hicks steal and score to bring Penn State back within one at 68-66.
- A Hicks jumper with 2:50 to play knotted the score at 70-70, but Minnesota answered with seven of the next eight points to surge ahead 77-71with 1:03 left on the clock. Penn State was never able to recover as the Gophers closed out the 83-74 win.
GAME NOTES
- Qudus Wahab scored a Big Ten-career best 15 points.
- Nick Kern Jr. set his career high with four steals in the contest. The junior also scored 11 points and has now scored in double figures in six of his last seven games.
- Demetrius Lilley tied his career high with eight points in the game. The sophomore also hauled in two rebounds while also recording a block and a steal.
- Penn State had its largest home crowd of the season, playing in front of 12,336 fans.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Mike Rhoades
Ace Baldwin Jr. & Qudus Wahab
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions are on the road for back-to-back games next week, beginning with a Wednesday night test at Rutgers. Tipoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
The 2023-24 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.