What Happened: Penn State fought tooth and nail to pick up its first win of the year in conference play but again came up short, falling by five to Illinois. The Nittany Lions trailed 29-20 at the half but a strong second half by Jermaine Marshall who led Penn State with 20 points helped keep the game close.
Player of the Game: Sasa Borovnjak shot 70 percent from the floor for 17 points while pulling down six rebounds in the losing effort. Despite the loss, Borovnjak was a major part of the Nittany Lions’ second half success.
Turning Point: Penn State cut the deficit to four with only nine second to play but DJ Richardson hit two clutch free throws to put the game out of reach.
State of The Game: Both teams combined for 52 free throws and 25 turnovers.
What It Means: Penn State remains winless in conference play but puts together a third straight game in which the Nittany Lions were reasonable within reach in the final stages.
On Deck: Penn State hosts Michigan on Wed, Feb 7 at 6:30 p.m.
