Penn State (19-12, 9-9) was unable to finish the season with a win against Nebraska (22-9, 13-5), losing 76-64. The Nittany Lions struggled early and were unable to claw back against the Cornhuskers. Forced to play without big man Mike Watkins, Nebraska scored 46 points in the paint. The Nittany Lions shot 41 percent from the field and turned the ball over 13 times.

How It Happened

Penn State played arguably their worst half of the season, only scoring 17 points in the first half. The whole team struggled, only making 26 percent of their shots and turning the ball over eleven times. The absence of Mike Watkins hurt the Nittany Lions, giving up 26 of Nebraska’s 34 points in the paint. Lamar Stevens and Tony Carr combined for 15 first half points, with a Julian Moore dunk accounting for the only other two points in the half.

Coach Chambers went with Julian Moore as the starter for the game, but decided to start the second half with Lamar Stevens at the five spot and Nazeer Bostick joining the other starters. The Nittany Lions were able to get some early stops and baskets, but couldn’t keep it up.

The Nittany Lions played a much better second half, but could not get the deficit to single digits. Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens combined for 40 points, with Shep Garner adding 11 points. Nebraska big man Isaac Copeland dominated with Mike Watkins missing the game, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds

Player Of The Game

Tony Carr | Sophomore | Guard

Tony Carr finished with 27 points, but was forced to take 23 shots in the loss. Carr finished the season leading the Big Ten in points, while producing many highlight plays. Carr also became the first sophomore in Penn State history to record 1,000 career points during the matchup against Nebraska.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions enter the Big Ten tournament with a first round bye. Penn State will play Thursday at 6:30 p.m. as the No. 7 seed in the tournament against No. 10 seed Northwestern. The game will broadcast on BTN.