COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Penn State men’s basketball team managed to turn an 18-point halftime deficit into a one-point game with just under 11 minutes to play but ultimately dropped an 84-78 decision to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday night from Value City Arena.
Redshirt sophomore guard Eli Rice helped push the pace offensively for the Nittany Lions on Monday, with the Gallatin, Tennessee, native booking a career-high 20 points with a career-best five 3-point makes in the defeat. Freshman forward Ivan Jurić mustered an individual milestone of his own in Columbus, registering his first double-double at the collegiate level in addition to just the second double-double by a Nittany Lion this season. The Zagreb, Croatia, native poured in 14 points with a career-high 14 rebounds to reach that milestone. Senior forward Josh Reed added 13 points, freshman guard Melih Tunca scored 13 in the second half alone, and freshman guard Kayden Mingo helped orchestrate things with a career-high-tying eight assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- OSU won the opening tipoff and immediately scored on its opening possession, and the squads traded buckets early on to the tune of a 4-2 Buckeye advantage less than two minutes in. Rice drilled a triple from the right corner to give the Nittany Lions their first lead of the night, but Ohio State pulled right back in front to take a 9-5 lead at the game’s first media break.
- A putback bucket from Jurić made it an 11-9 Buckeye edge inside 14 minutes remaining in the first half, but OSU connected on a step back straight-away 3-ball to kick off a 14-2 scoring run that gave Ohio State a 25-11 lead with 9:26 to go. A quartet of makes at the free throw line from Mingo and Dilione V helped keep PSU in the hunt, and a jumper from Reed off an offensive board saw the Blue & White remain within 10.
- The Nittany Lions battled back and forth with their hosts as the opening half continued to tick away, with Stewart and Jurić each connecting on 3-pointers en route to a 33-23 OSU advantage at the under-four media timeout. Penn State and Ohio State traded makes from long distance over the next 90 seconds, and mid-range jumpers both ways led to a 41-28 Buckeye lead toward the end of the period. Ohio State carried a 50-32 advantage into the halftime intermission.
- Rice immediately got the scoring going for Penn State as the second half got underway, nailing a shot from the left wing on PSU’s first possession of the period. Ohio State answered each PSU make early in the frame, but a pair of free throws from Reed helped the Nittany Lions stay within 15. Stewart cut it to a dozen with an emphatic left-wing triple, and a block by Reed helped set the tone for a Jurić dunk to cap off a 7-0 PSU scoring stretch.
- Both sides settled in as the half rolled along, but a straight-away 3-pointer from Rice followed by a breakaway layup by Dilione V forced a Buckeye timeout at the 12:47 mark with the Nittany Lions battling back within seven points of the lead at 58-51. The PSU defense remained strong on the other side of the break, with Rice drilling another long-range bucket from straight-on to make it a four-point game.
- PSU earned its way into the bonus with over 11 minutes to play, with Jurić connecting on both halves of a one-and-one to keep the Nittany Lions within four. Reed found the bottom of the net and earned a call to book an and-one opportunity that made it a one-point game at 60-59 with 10:46 to go. Ohio State replied with a quick 5-0 burst, but a floater from Tunca kept the Nittany Lions within four points of the lead.
- Ohio State managed to balloon its advantage back to 11 thanks to makes at the charity stripe and a left-wing triple with under seven minutes to go. An offensive flurry from Tunca helped keep the Nittany Lions within striking distance as the game approached its end, and a left-corner triple by Rice made it a four-point game with just over 23 seconds to go, but Ohio State was ultimately able to hold on and close the book on a 84-78 home victory.
GAME NOTES
- Penn State drops to 9-11 overall and 0-9 in Big Ten Conference play while Ohio State improves to 14-6 overall and 6-4 in league matchups.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Eli Rice turned in a career-best performance on Monday night in Columbus, leading the Nittany Lions in scoring with 20 points highlighted by a career-high six makes from 3-point range. The Gallatin, Tennessee, native added two rebounds, a block and a steal in Penn State’s ninth individual 20-plus scoring performance of the season. Rice finished the game as PSU’s scoring leader for the first time this year.
- Freshman forward Ivan Jurić mustered his first double-double at the collegiate level in Mon-day’s game, marking the second double-double by a Nittany Lion in the 2025-26 season, joining senior forward Josh Reed. Jurić contributed 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in 37 minutes of effort. Jurić has now led PSU in rebounds on seven occasions this season.
- Reed chipped in with his fourth consecutive double-digit effort in Big Ten play, dropping 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field and a 5-for-5 night at the free throw line. Reed added five rebounds, a block and a steal over a career-high 38 minutes in Columbus.
- Freshman guard Melih Tunca cracked double digits for the third time in Big Ten Conference play in addition to his first double-digit scoring effort since dropping 14 at Purdue on January 10. Tunca tallied all 13 of his points in the second half of play, shooting at an efficient 4-for-8 clip from the field.
- Freshman guard Kayden Mingo matched his career high in assists on Monday, dishing out eight in the loss to the Buckeyes. The Farmingdale, New York, native last notched eight assists on December 13 against Michigan State inside the Bryce Jordan Center. Mingo now boasts nine games with five-or-more assists this season and has led PSU in that category on 13 occasions.
- Penn State utilized the starting lineup of Jurić, Mingo, Stewart, Reed and Rice for the third consecutive game, moving to 0-3 when starting with that group.
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions are back on the road Thursday night for an 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT matchup at Northwestern on Peacock.