No. 13 Penn State Basketball Defeats Northwestern for Eighth Straight Win

After a slow start, No. 13 Penn State men’s basketball (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten) pulled away to defeat Northwestern (6-17, 1-12 Big Ten) 77-61 on Saturday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Lamar Stevens led the way with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Jamari Wheeler contributed 11 points and six assists. Myles Dread also had 16 points.

The Nittany Lions increased their win streak to eight as they pushed their way to a victory. They knocked down 10 threes and out-rebounded the Wildcats by 10 as well. Penn State was without its second-leading scorer for a third consecutive game as Myreon Jones was out again due to illness.

How It Happened

While Northwestern got out to an early 5-0 lead, the Nittany Lions started out the game missing four threes, before Wheeler sunk one to end the drought. Triples by Stevens and Seth Lundy tied it up 9-9 with 16:25 to go in the half.

Northwestern’s pressure made it difficult for Penn State to find the basket throughout the early part of the first half, but Watkins did a good job getting into the paint. He drew a foul and knocked down both of his free throws in addition a nice put-back dunk.

The Nittany Lions continued to shoot from behind the arc, with Dread connecting on a three that gave Penn State a 16-13 lead. Dread and Curtis Jones Jr.  missed on two consecutive air-balls, but Wheeler broke that streak as he knocked down his second three of the day for a 19-15 lead.

A Dread steal-and-dunk, a slick move by Izaiah Brockington, and a nice dunk by Watkins extended the lead at the momentum for Penn State. Watkins continued to put pressure on the Wildcats as he sunk a mid-range jumper to put Penn State ahead 33-19.

As the first half came to a close, clutch shots by Stevens, Jones and Brockington allowed the Nittany Lions to extend their lead and go into the locker room with a 42-28 advantage.

Wheeler kicked off scoring for the Nittany Lions in the second half, but just like in the first, Northwestern got off to a hot start early to keep pace. That didn’t stop Stevens, though, who scored on a nice fadeaway and a three of his own that stretch Penn State’s lead to 51-34.

Northwestern continued to stick around as the Wildcats climbed back into the game, knocking down threes and getting into the paint, pulling within seven on a Pete Nance jumper with 5:16 left in the game. Their defense was key too, as they doubled Stevens and forced the team to shoot from behind the arc. But Penn State continued to keep the Wildcats at bay, getting key baskets when it needed them.

Penn State struggled for a while midway through the second half and shot 0-for-6 from the field until Dread made the crowd erupt with a shot-clock-beating three to end the drought and put the Nittany Lions up 67-57. Northwestern followed with an air-ball that brought the crowd back to life and the Wildcats never threatened again.

Stevens ended up taking control of the game and cruised to victory, as his 23 points were what pushed the Nittany Lions over the top en route to a 77-61 win.

With the win, Penn State is a half game out of first place in the Big Ten as of Saturday afternoon. First-place Maryland visits Michigan State at 6 p.m.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will be back in the BJC to take on No. 22 Illinois at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The game will be broadcast nationally on FS1.