PHILADELPHIA – The Penn State men’s basketball team trimmed a 16-point deficit down to two in the final minutes, but wasn’t able to complete the comeback attempt as Indiana claimed a 77-71 win inside The Palestra Sunday afternoon.
The Nittany Lions and Hoosiers were tied at 29 at halftime before Indiana opened the second half on a 12-0 run. IU led by as much as 16 before the Nittany Lions rallied within two with 1:43 to play, but the Hoosiers were able to hang on for the 77-71 win.
Nick Kern Jr. led Penn State with 21 points. Ace Baldwin Jr. finished with 12 points, seven assists and three rebounds. Freddie Dilione V rounded out Penn State’s double-digit scorers with 11 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A Puff Johnson layup started the scoring and helped Penn State get out to a quick 6-2 lead less than two minutes into the game.
- The Hoosiers scored 11 of the next 15 points to pull ahead 13-10 at the 15:02 mark. The Indiana lead remained at three at 17-14 three minutes later before four points from Johnson fueled an 8-1 Nittany Lion streak that was capped by a rim-rocking dunk from Nick Kern Jr. that put Penn State up 22-18 with 9:53 left to play in the first half.
- The Nittany Lions remained ahead by four at 27-23 before Penn State went cold. The Nittany Lions were scoreless for five minutes and Indiana’s Oumar Ballo scored six-straight for the Hoosiers to put Indiana back on top at 29-27 with just over a minute to play in the half.
- A pair of Nick Kern Jr. free throws snapped the Indiana streak and ended the term as the two teams went into the half tied at 29-29.
- Indiana’s Mackenzie Mgbako scored eight points in the first 1:17 of the second half to spark a 12-0 Hoosier run that opened the half and heled IU quickly surge ahead 41-29 with 17:11 to play.
- An Ace Baldwin Jr. jumper in the paint at the 14:40 mark had the Nittany Lions within eight at 47-39. The Hoosiers pulled ahead by 16 four minutes later as Indiana owned a 61-45 advantage.
- A Nick Kern Jr. layup at the 10:09 mark would ignite a scrappy rally for the Nittany Lions over the next five minutes. Kern scored 10 points and the Nittany Lions made eight-straight field goals in what would become an 18-7 stretch that pulled Penn State within five at 68-63 with 5:12 to play.
- Penn State kept clawing as Hicks nailed a triple at 1:43 to put the score at 73-71 with 1:43 left on the clock. The Hoosiers would score the game’s final four points from the free throw line, however, as Indiana hung on for the 77-71 win.
GAME NOTES
- The Nittany Lions are now 12-3 on the season and 2-2 in Big Ten play.
- Penn State falls to 3-2 in Big Ten games played at The Palestra.
- Penn State shot just 14.3 percent (3-21) from 3-point range compared to Indiana’s 39.1 percent (9-23) mark.
- The Nittany Lions scored 52 of their 71 points in the paint.
- Nick Kern Jr. notched his second 20-plus point game of the season and his 12th double-digit scoring game of the year.
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions hit the road for a Wednesday night matchup at #22 Illinois. Tipoff from Champaign is slated for 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT and the game will air on Big Ten Network.
The 2024-25 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.