Penn State (22-13, 11-10 Big Ten) beat Temple (17-16, 8-10 AAC) 63-57 in the first round of the NIT to advance and set up a meeting with Notre Dame. The Nittany Lions struggled all game until the very last couple minutes when they pulled away from the Owls. Tony Carr was held without a point through the first 33 minutes of the game, but the Nittany Lions got double-digits scoring from Josh Reaves, Julian Moore, and Lamar Stevens, and Nazeer Bostick. Penn State got 19 points from its bench, all by Moore and Bostick.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions struggled starting the game, trailing Temple 16-12 at the end of the first quarter. Penn State only made five of their 14 shot attempts. Josh Reaves briefly exited the game with an ankle injury, but returned to the game and scored eight points in the quarter.

Philly natives Lamar Stevens and Tony Carr were held scoreless in the first half, as Penn State trailed Temple 29-24. Reaves continued to lead the Nittany Lions, scoring 13 points in the first half. Nazeer Bostick and Julian Moore added 11 points off the bench.

The Nittany Lions started slow coming out of halftime, but ended the third quarter only down 48-44. Stevens scored 10 points in the third quarter. The Nittany Lions took 17 free throws in the quarter, and made 14 of their attempts.

Tony Carr scored his first and only points of the game with 6:20 left in the game. The Nittany Lions tied the game with 2:36 to go after back to back three pointers from Reaves and Shep Garner, and then took the lead with 1:52 left on a John Harrar layup. Once Penn State took the lead, they did not give it up.

Player Of The Game

Josh Reaves | Junior | Guard

Reaves led the Nittany Lions with 19 points and 10 rebounds, playing with hustle while the rest of his team looked rusty in the first three quarters coming off the long break.

What’s Next

Penn State will take on Notre Dame at 12 p.m. Saturday in South Bend. The game will broadcast on ESPN.