Penn State (12-6, 2-3 Big Ten) lost 74-70 to Indiana (10-7, 3-2 Big Ten) in Alumni Hall on Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions started poorly and never recovered, leading for just 59 seconds on the night.

Tony Carr led all scorers with 28 points on an 8-19 shooting performance. Lamar Stevens paced the Nittany Lions for the third-straight game, shooting 66 percent on his way to tallying 20 points and seven rebounds.

How It Happened

The only two Nittany Lions who showed up from the game’s opening tip were Carr and Stevens. Indiana led for most of the first half, but after Stevens scored nine straight Penn State points following a three-pointer, the deficit for the Nittany Lions was cut to just 11-8 with 14:30 left in the opening half.

The game was back and forth from the get-go, as both teams exchanged a few buckets and turnovers. A jaw-dropping block by Stevens gave Penn State some momentum, as it went on an 11-2 run over a 4:50 span. A Carr layup capped the run, giving the Nittany Lions their first lead of the game with 5:41 to go in the half.

Per Penn State basketball’s usual luck, the Hoosiers’ Collin Hartman drilled an and-one three-pointer and completed the four point play to give the home team a 27-24 lead. Stevens answered with another clutch shot from downtown to knot the score at 27 with 4:26 remaining. The score remained narrow as the half came to a close, and Indiana ended up with the 34-31 lead at the break.

The home team started the second half off the right way, as Robert Johnson completed an and-one to give Indiana a 37-31 lead. A beautiful looping assist from Mike Watkins to Shep Garner enabled Garner to drill a three pointer at the 17:15 mark to cut Indiana’s lead to 40-36. Two quick buckets and a Johnson three quickly gave the Hoosiers their largest lead of the game, 47-36, with 15 minutes left.

Stevens threw down the hammer and Carr made a tough layup to trim the deficit to just six, as the Nittany Lions trailed 49-43 with 12 minutes remaining. The dunk for Stevens got him to the 20 point mark for the fifth time this season. Carr and Watkins each executed solid post moves that led to points, but a three and a long two from Josh Newkirk and Devonte Green kept the Hoosiers out ahead 56-51 with 8:30 left in the game. Green buried a three-pointer of his own to make the Indiana advantage 61-53.

Carr hit six free throws out of Penn State’s next 14 points, and added a three pointer late in the contest to cut Indiana’s advantage to 70-67 with eight tics remaining. Nazeer Bostick drilled one from beyond the arc with 1.4 seconds left to trim Indiana’s lead to 72-70.

The Hoosiers made just enough of their free throws, and finished with the 74-70 victory.

Player Of The Game

Lamar Stevens | Sophomore | Forward

The inside-out forward displayed his offensive talents once again, finishing with 20 points to go along with seven rebounds. Stevens made 9-for-15 shot attempts, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.

Stevens has made 64 percent of his shots over Penn State’s last three games.

What’s Next?

Penn State hosts the Nebraska Cornhuskers this Friday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and will be broadcast on BTN.