PHILADELPHIA – The Penn State men’s basketball team made its return to “The Cathedral of College Basketball” on Saturday night, dropping a 73-65 result to the No. 20/19 Illinois Fighting Illini inside The Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.
The Blue & White contested their sixth Big Ten Conference game all-time in The Palestra on Saturday night, adding another chapter to the rich history of a building that has hosted more games, more visiting teams, and more NCAA Tournament contests than any other facility in college basketball. Penn State was led offensively by a pair of double-digit scorers in Philadelphia, with freshman guard Kayden Mingo notching a team-best 16-point performance with five assists four steals while redshirt sophomore guard Eli Rice poured in 11 points and hauled in four rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Illinois came away with the opening tip and found the game’s first points from beyond the arc shortly thereafter. The Fighting Illini rattled off the first seven points of the contest, but Rice connected from deep on the right wing to make it a 7-3 affair three minutes in. Illinois mustered a 6-0 run from there to take a 13-3 edge at the game’s first media timeout, but Mingo rattled off back-to-back assists on a 3-pointer from Stewart and an and-one for Tunca to pull back within four.
- In response to PSU’s 6-0 scoring run, the Fighting Illini added four quick points before back-and-forth basketball resumed to the tune of a 20-13 Illinois advantage with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first. Illinois picked things up on both ends in the ensuing moments, rattling off a quick 10-0 scoring run to balloon the advantage to 14 points. PSU attempted to mitigate the Fighting Illini scoring stretch but would trail by a 32-18 differential with just over five and a half minutes remaining in the opening frame.
- A 3-pointer from Rice and a mid-range pull-up jumper by Blackwood helped the Nittany Lions pull back within 10 points, and Blackwood continued to impress with a left-corner triple that kept the momentum flowing in PSU’s direction. Illinois was afforded multiple opportunities at the charity stripe as the half wound down, ultimately culminating in a 40-26 Fighting Illini lead at the halftime break.
- Jurić drilled a 3-pointer to open the second stanza for the Blue & White just before Illinois connected on a pair of driving layups. Mingo kept the 3-point barrage going with a straight-away triple to but the Fighting Illini lead back to 12 points, but a pair of makes at the line preserved Illinois’ edge. PSU trimmed things back to single digits with a runner from Mingo and triple from Freddie Dilione V, but the Fighting Illini immediately answered back to make it 48-37 with just over 14 minutes to play.
- Despite a basket from Dilione V that once again cut the deficit to nine, the Fighting Illini rattled off five unanswered to force a PSU timeout at 53-39. Things remained relatively quiet until the Nittany Lions kicked off a 6-0 scoring run with stellar defensive effort and a trio of buckets in the painted area to make it 57-49 at the under-eight media break. PSU forced a shot clock violation on the other side of the timeout, but Illinois snapped back with a 7-0 stretch to pull ahead by 15. Neither side managed consistent scoring over the final five minutes as Illinois was ultimately able to close things out and publish a 73-65 win in The Palestra.
GAME NOTES
- Penn State drops to 9-5 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten Conference play while Illinois improves to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in league games.
- Following the 57th all-time meeting of the two programs, Illinois improved its lead to 34-23 and won its second-consecutive matchup in the series following a run of four-straight by the Nittany Lions.
- Penn State falls to an even 3-3 record in Big Ten Conference home games played inside The Palestra following the sixth all-time matchup.
- The Nittany Lions won the turnover battle for the 10th time in the 2025-26 season and moved to 8-2 overall when doing so. PSU surrendered seven turnovers while forcing 10 takeaways.
- PSU won the battle for scoring off the bench on Saturday night, outpacing the Fighting Illini by a 21-14 differential off the pine.
- Freshman guard Kayden Mingo led the way for the Nittany Lion offense, dishing out five assists to lead PSU in that stat category for the 10th time in 14 games played. The Farmingdale, New York, native added a team-high 16 points and a game-high four steals. Mingo crossed into double figures for the second game in a row and logged his 12th such effort on the 2025-26 campaign. Mingo led PSU in scoring for the fifth time this year.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Eli Rice finished in double figures for the second game in a row while logging his fifth such performance this season. The Gallatin, Tennessee, native chipped in with 11 points, four rebounds and two steals Saturday night in Philadelphia.
- Three different Nittany Lions shared the team-high in rebounding on Saturday, with redshirt junior guard Freddie Dilione V, redshirt sophomore guard Eli Rice and junior forward Saša Ciani hauling in four boards apiece.
UP NEXT
- Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center Tuesday night for a matchup with #2 Michigan. The Nittany Lions will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Bryce Jordan Center during the 7 p.m. tipoff on Big Ten Network. Kids 12 & under get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket from this link.