Penn State looked to build on one of its biggest wins of the season after its 68-63 upset win over Indiana. The Nittany Lions (12-13, 3-9 Big Ten) faced a struggling Nebraska (14-12, 6-7 Big Ten) who had lost four of its last five. People who thought that the win against Indiana was a sign towards consistency should be disappointed with Penn State’s performance against Nebraska — who played without star Shavon Shields (concussion). But while the first half was competitive, the Cornhuskers destroyed the Nittany Lions in the second half in an eventual blowout.

How It Happened

The game started off sloppy as both teams struggled to hang onto the ball. The first seven points of the game were off turnovers, which continued to be major theme throughout the remainder of the half. The two teams traded baskets in what was a competitive first half. The Lions shared the wealth with eight players recording points, but it was Brandon Taylor who lead the charge with nine. Taylor got on the stat sheet with a nice reverse layup but struggled to find consistency throughout.

While Penn State’s offensive attack was balanced, Nebraska relied heavily on junior standout Andrew White. White (16.9 ppg) absolutely burned the Nittany Lions and finished with a career high 35. White scored the Cornhuskers first points of the game with a dunk off a Penn State turnover and followed with one of his six threes to put Nebraska up 3-5 early. White scored 15 in the first half and all in the first ten minutes.

Josh Reaves was a bright spot for Penn State. Reaves played aggressive early — a good sign for the freshman who missed a significant amount of time during his bout with mono. Reaves flashed masterful passing throughout the game, highlighted by a nice drive and dish to Jordan Dickerson, who slammed it home. Reaves made an early steal and finished off the fast break with a two-hand slam off a Devin Foster pass that tied the game at 23 with 6:16 to go. Nebraska jumped out to a 23-17 lead, but the Nittany Lions showed some fight. Penn State would end up down at the half thanks to a Glynn Watson Jr. buzzer beater three to recapture the lead from Penn State, making it 32-31.

The second half was an unmitigated disaster for Penn State. The Nittany Lions missed jumper after jumper as Andrew White continued to score at will. Penn State was metaphorically and literally punched in the face as the Cornhuskers went on a 17-2 run to start the half. Taylor briefly got it going, but the Lions found themselves down 60-38 and barely outscored White in second half with 23 points to White’s 20. Penn State shot an abysmal 21-55 (38.2 percent) from the field and 6-23 (26.1 percent) from deep while Nebraska shot an efficient 25-54 (46.3 percent) from the field and 8-18 (44.4 percent) from downtown.

Player Of The Game

Andrew White | Junior | G

One would not be able to tell Nebraska was without their second leading scorer in Shavon Shields (15.7 ppg) as Andrew White’s career-high 35 points were enough to down the Nittany Lions. White was efficient from the field (11-17), downtown (6-10) and the line, where he was a perfect 7-7.

What’s Next

Penn State will look to bounce back against no. 4 Iowa on Feb 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center.