Penn State (2-3) returned to the Mohegan Sun hardwood for the consolation clash of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tip-Off against No. 24 Cincinnati in Uncasville, Conn.

The Bearcats improved to 42-11 against unranked opponents under 10th-year head coach Mick Cronin, topping Penn State 71-50 Sunday afternoon.

How It Happened

Pat Chambers’ Nittany Lions played No. 1 Duke close but fell 78-68 yesterday. Junior captain Shep Garner got off to a hot start, scoring five of Penn State’s first seven points. However, Cincinnati (3-1) doubled up the blue and white, 14-7, early on in a slow-paced first half before opening a big lead.

They would go on an 13-3 run, prompting a timeout from Chambers to settle his guys down before the 22-10 deficit could get out-of-hand. The Nittany Lions miraculously went scoreless for an 8:08 stretch to effectively do just that. With the blink of an eye, they had 15 turnovers in a lopsided opening half. N.C. State transfer Kyle Washington turned in a strong performance for the Bearcats, netting a game-high 10 points in the first 20 minutes. Penn State headed into the locker room on a 9-2 flurry to help stop the bleeding, down 34-19.

Garner showed his leadership in the second half, refusing to back down as the Nittany Lions continued to trail by a large margin. The eldest Roman Catholic product on the roster led Penn State with a game-high 20 points and a rebound in the loss. Freshman point guard Tony Carr provided 10 points of his own, while forward Mike Watkins grabbed seven boards and added five points. Bearcat guards Jacob Evans and Troy Caupain also finished in double figures with 16 and 12 points, respectively.

Player Of The Game

Kyle Washington | Junior | Forward

The imposing 6-foot-9 Champlin, Minn., native imposed his will on the young Nittany Lions, finishing with 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for the double-double.

What’s Next?

Penn State will be back in the BJC this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. against Colgate on the Big Ten Network.