No. 20 Penn State men’s basketball (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten) couldn’t buy a basket down the stretch in a 72-61 loss at Rutgers (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) on Tuesday night. An outstanding first half performance by Mike Watkins, staunch defense early on by the Nittany Lions, and a heroic second half effort by Myreon Jones weren’t enough as Rutgers went 20-for-27 from the free throw line.

Myreon Jones scored 21 points thanks to his five three-pointers on the night, while Mike Watkins finished with 17 points and six rebounds. Rutgers was led by 22 points from Ron Harper Jr., including a 12-for-12 mark from the free throw line.

How It Happened

The opening 10 minutes was essentially unwatchable. The teams combined for a 6-for-35 start from the field with 10 turnovers between them. Penn State led 16-6. Big Mike couldn’t miss early on, but Myles Dread, Lamar Stevens, and Jamari Wheeler all picked up two fouls by the second-to-last media timeout of the first half.

Over the next ten minutes of action, the teams traded buckets as the tempo picked up, but the game was still excruciatingly sloppy. An alley-oop finish by Watkins followed by a spin-and-score in the post on Penn State’s next possession put the Blue and White up 24-14, their largest lead of the game, before the Scarlet Knights answered with a pair of buckets that prompted Pat Chambers to call his first timeout with 4:04 left until the break.

Rutgers continued to inch closer, pulling within three points several times over the closing moments of the half before another massive jam by Watkins quieted the crowd with less than a minute to go. The Nittany Lions took a 33-28 advantage into the locker room, despite shooting just 37 percent and turning the ball over eight times. Watkins was the lone bright spot for either team, starting the game with 16 points on 7-for-7 shooting and four rebounds.

The Scarlet Knights scored six points in the first two minutes to grab the lead early in the second half, and Watkins seemed to pick up a minor injury. Big Mike stayed in the game, but the Nittany Lions were too sloppy on offense to stop the momentum from swinging towards the Knights. Dread and Wheeler picked up their third fouls during that run, and Chambers called a timeout to try and stop the bleeding.

Rutgers continued to pick up momentum, and a three-pointer by Young gave Rutgers its largest lead of the game at six, before Stevens answered with an and-1 opportunity after he was fouled making a tough turnaround jumper. Stevens missed the free throw, and Young got to the bucket to push Rutgers back ahead 47-41 with 10 minutes left to go.

The next few minutes were crucial for the Nittany Lions. A huge Myreon Jones triple from the wing cut the deficit in half on the next possession, then finished at the rim on Penn State’s next possession. Penn State forced a turnover and Jones hit another three-pointer to put Penn State up 49-47, as the guard began to catch fire.

After Ron Harper Jr. tied the scored at 49-all, Jones made an absurd mid-range jump shot on a heat-check to place the Nittany Lions back in front. Montez Mathis answered for Rutgers from way downtown, and Rutgers led 52-51 at the under-eight timeout after what was by far the most entertaining sequence of the game from both sides.

At this point in the half, all 20 second half points for Penn State had come via Jones or Stevens. Penn State caught a break with 4:28 to go, as Watkins attempted to save a loose ball and it appeared to deflect back off of him before going out of bounds. It was ruled Penn State’s possession, and after Watkins made one of two shots after being fouled on the next play, the Nittany Lions trailed 58-54 at the next media timeout.

Rutgers made two free throws, and Penn State squandered several chances to answer after missing two open three-pointers while Stevens picked up his fourth foul going for another offensive board. Harper Jr. continued to drain his shots from the line as Penn State continued to foul, and Chambers called a timeout with 3:24 remaining with Penn State trailing 62-54.

The offensive woes continued for Chambers’s team, as a Harper Jr. bucket and a Penn State turnover basically sealed the game for Rutgers. A foul by Watkins sent Harper Jr. to the line once again, where he nailed two more free throws to cap off a 12-for-12 performance from the line. Akwasi Yeboah scored with 1:41 left to play, capping off a 14-1 run by the Scarlet Knights that put them ahead 68-54.

After another basket by the Knights, Myreon Jones hit his fifth three-pointer of the night to make the score 70-59 in favor of Rutgers. Izaiah Brockington had one more slam on the night, as Penn State fell 72-61 at the RAC.

Takeaways

• This team has to be more disciplined defensively. Their aggressive style of play is typically a major strength, but far too often this season they’ve had key contributors in foul trouble. Lamar Stevens in particular is an offender, as he’s recorded four or more fouls six times this season after reaching that mark just 10 times in the prior two seasons combined. Neither team could score this game from the field, but Penn State bailed the Scarlet Knights out by repeatedly sending them to the charity stripe.
• Mike Watkins continued to blossom in the first half of this game. The senior entered this game among the top five in the nation in blocked shots, but it was his constant attack on Rutgers’ interior defense that paced the way for Penn State in an otherwise ugly offensive performance.
• Defense has always been the identity of Pat Chambers’s program, and the quickness of Penn State stood out early on. Several transition baskets off of Rutgers turnovers helped the Nittany Lions maintain their lead at times when they weren’t executing in the half-court offense. However, those turnovers dropped in the second half, and the inability to get out and run on fast break opportunities proved to be the major nail in the coffin for Penn State in the second half.

What’s Next

Penn State will try to to bounce back at home against Wisconsin at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, January 11 in the Bryce Jordan Center. You can watch that game on BTN.