Penn State (2-1) returned to the Bryce Jordan Center following its road victory at against Duquesne. Grand Canyon (1-1) fell to Duke in its season opener and couldn’t grab its first win of the season against the Nittany Lions in a 85-76 loss.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions opened the game with back-to-back threes from Payton Banks and Shep Garner. After as couple of empty possessions, Grand Canyon got into a groove, going on a 12-4 run to take a 12-10 lead five minutes into the quarter. The teams traded baskets for much of the next couple minutes as the game was tied 28-28 with 10 minutes left in the first half.

Penn State took some control in the second quarter of action. Shep Garner led the team at the half with 11 points and the Nittany Lions went 18-38 from the field as they put up 48 points, taking a seven-point lead into the locker room.

Grand Canyon started the second half on a 9-0 run to go ahead 50-48 with 15 minutes left. Penn State knocked down its first field goal of the half six minutes in with a lay up from Mike Watkins to retake the lead 52-50. The Nittany Lions never trailed again after that bucket.

Lamar Stevens, Tony Carr, and Banks joined Garner in double digits during the second half of play. Penn State opened the lead up to as much as 12, but Grand Canyon wouldn’t go away — making a late charge as the Nittany Lions struggled to score from the field late. Grand Canyon couldn’t pull close enough as Penn State won 85-76.

Player Of The Game

Lamar Stevens | Forward | Freshman 

In just the third game of his collegiate career, Stevens led the team in scoring for the second time — finishing with 19 points in the win.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions travel up to Uncansville, Connecticut for the Basketball Hall Of Fame Tip-off where they face No. 1 Duke in the opening round. The game starts at 12:30 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN3.