CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – Zack Hicks scored his 1,000th career point, but the Penn State men’s basketball team couldn’t find its offensive rhythm in a 91-52 road loss at #13 Illinois Wednesday night.
Nick Kern Jr. (13 points) and Hicks (11 points) finished in double figures for the Nittany Lions. Leading scorer Ace Baldwin Jr. was sidelined for the final 25 minutes with an injury.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Zach Hicks nailed a triple to open the scoring and secure his 1,000th career point. The Nittany Lions got out to an 11-5 lead as a Freddie Dilione V jumper at the 14:29 mark put PSU in front by six.
- The Illini responded with 15 unanswered points that served as the front end of a 21-1 run over the next 7:06 as Illinois pulled ahead 26-13 with 7:10 left to play in the first half. The Illini continued to roll in the opening term and Penn State stayed cold as Illinois took a 45-21 lead into halftime.
- Kern Jr. scored seven of Penn State’s first 13 points of the second half, but the Illini stretched their lead to 30 at 64-34. The Nittany Lions were never able to recover as #13 Illinois claimed the 91-52 win.
GAME NOTES
- Zach Hicks netted his 1,000th career point with a 3-pointer just 1:05 into the game.
- Nick Kern Jr. notched his team-leading 13th double-digit game of the season.
- The Nittany Lions were without leading scorer Ace Baldwin Jr. for the final 25 minutes of the game following a first-half injury. Penn State was
- Freshmen Jahvin Carter and Miles Goodman both clocked career-high minutes.
- The Nittany Lions shot a season-low 30.8 percent from the field and scored a season-low 52 points.
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions return home to the Bryce Jordan Center Sunday at 4 p.m. to host #15 Oregon in Penn State’s Coaches vs. Cancer and Alumni Day game.
The 2024-25 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.