Penn State basketball (13-8, 3-5 Big Ten) lost its shooting touch completely in the second half, losing 70-61 to Northwestern (12-9, 3-4 Big Ten). The Nittany Lions went the last 10:37 of the game without making a shot. Shep Garner led the team, scoring 22 points on six made three-pointers.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions got off to a quick 10-4 lead at the first media timeout. Shep Garner started the scoring off with a three-pointer and added a couple great defensive plays. Penn State started the half making nine of its first twelve shots. After trailing by as much as nine points in the first half, Northwestern took its first lead of the game with 5:09 left in the half.

After trading baskets the rest of the half, Penn State took a 35-33 lead into the locker room. The Nittany Lions finished the half shooting 68% from the field. Senior Shep Garner had the hot hand, and the team did a great job of getting him the ball. Garner knocked down five three-pointers and finished the opening half with 17 points. Tony Carr did a great job of not forcing shots, making three of his five attempts, while also adding four assists against just one turnover.

Penn State got a lot of quality minutes from its bench in this game. Julian Moore and Deividas Zemgulis played big minutes in the first half with Watkins, Bostick and Wheeler on the bench with foul trouble, while Bostick scored eight points in the second half.

Although leading for the first fifteen minutes of the second half, Northwestern took the lead and didn’t concede it the rest of the game. Missed free-throws and costly turnovers hurt the Nittany Lions at the end of the game.

Player Of The Game

Shep Garner | Senior | Guard

Garner hit five three-pointers in the first half, and finished with 22 points.

What’s Next?

Penn State travels to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes on Thursday. The game tips off at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on BTN.