UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In a game that saw 14 lead changes and 11 tie scores, the Penn State men’s basketball team stepped up in the final minutes to earn a gutsy 84-80 win over Northwestern Thursday night inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Penn State defense held Northwestern to just five points in the final five minutes and the Nittany Lions made clutch baskets down the stretch to improve to 12-2 on the season, 2-1 in Big Ten play and a perfect 9-0 inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions made 36 free throws, a Penn State record in a Big Ten game.
Zach Hicks led four Nittany Lions in double figures with 20 points, marking his third 20-plus point effort of the season. Ace Baldwin Jr. notched both his 1,500th career point and 300th career steal in the game and finished with 17 points, seven assists and five steals. Puff Johnson tallied 11 points, while Freddie Dilione V added 10.
Baldwin Jr. now owns career marks of 1,507 points, 737 assists and 303 steals, making him just the ninth Division I player since the 1947-48 season (77 years) to accumulate career marks of 1,500+ points, 700+ assists and 300+ steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Nittany Lions got out to an 8-0 lead just over four minutes into the game as Penn State’s pressure rattled the Wildcats early and PSU scored five points off two Northwestern turnovers to take the quick advantage.
- The Penn State defense forced five Northwestern turnovers and held the Wildcats to a 1-for-6 clip from the field in the game’s first six and a half minutes as the Nittany Lions controlled a 10-2 edge.
- The Wildcats put together a 15-4 run from 12:12 to 8:20 to surge ahead 21-16.
- A D’Marco Dunn conventional three-point play at the 6:37 mark snapped the Northwestern streak and sparked a 7-1 Nittany Lion run over the next 55 seconds that put Penn State back ahead 23-22 and forced a Wildcat timeout with 5:43 left to play in the first half.
- Dunn made it a 12-1 run with a triple and a layup out of the timeout as the Nittany Lion lead reached 28-22 at 4:29.
- The Nittany Lion lead sat at seven following a rim-rocking dunk from Freddie Dilione V with 42 seconds left in the opening term. The Wildcats scored five of the final six points of the half, but Penn State carried a 37-34 lead into the intermission.
- Penn State was up six early in the second half following a conventional three-point play from Johnson, but Northwestern used an 11-3 streak over a two-minute stretch to reclaim the lead at 47-45 with 16:46 to play.
- Seven lead changes and nine tie scores came in the next 10 minutes as neither team would lead by more than three points and the score was knotted a 72-72 following a Baldwin Jr. free throw at the 6:02 mark.
- That Baldwin Jr. free throw would spark a 9-3 Nittany Lion stretch over the next three minutes as the Penn State defense stepped up with big stops to put the Nittany Lions up 80-75 with 3:05 to play.
- The Wildcats would get within two at 80-78 and 82-80. The score sat at 82-80 with 49 seconds to play. Northwestern got the ball with 23 seconds left and had a chance at a game-tying play, but Dunn came up with a huge block before the defense stopped the second chance Northwestern opportunity. Baldwin Jr. made two free throws in the final second to ice the 84-80 Nittany Lion victory.
GAME NOTES
- Penn State’s 12-2 record is its best since the 2019-20 team also started 12-2.
- The Nittany Lions are a perfect 9-0 inside the Bryce Jordan Center this season and have now won 12-straight games dating back to last season.
- Penn State was 36-for-45 from the free throw line. The 36 made free throws are a Penn State record in a Big Ten game.
- The Nittany Lions owned a 36-18 advantage at the charity stripe and drew 30 fouls.
- Penn State shot 50.0 percent (22-44) from the field and the Nittany Lions have now scored 80+ points in 11 of their 14 games this season.
- Ace Baldwin Jr. notched his 1,500th career point with his 10th point of the game in the second half, and recorded his 300th career steal in the first half. He becomes just the ninth Division I player since the 1947-48 season (77 years) to accumulate career marks of 1,500+ points, 700+ assists and 300+ steals. Baldwin Jr. is Division I’s active career leader in steals and is on track to break into the top 30 all-time in the NCAA record book later this season.
- Zach Hicks notched his third 20-plus point game of the season.
- Freshman forward Miles Goodman returned from injury to make his first collegiate appearance, collecting a rebound and finishing +6 in +/- in nine minutes of action.
- D’Marco Dunn finished a team-high +12 in +/-.
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions make their return to the historic Palestra in Philadelphia Sunday to host Indiana. Tipoff is slated for noon and the game is a White Out. Limited tickets remain available here.
The 2024-25 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.