Penn State men’s basketball (9-12, 0-10 Big Ten) lost to Northwestern (10-11, 2-8 Big Ten) 94-73 in Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday night.

The Nittany Lions fell apart in the final 10 minutes after a competitive first half. Northwestern went on a 12-2 run over three and a half minutes and turned the contest into a blowout with sharp 3-point shooting in the final five minutes.

How It Happened

Mike Rhoades rolled with the lineup of Ivan Jurić, Kayden Mingo, Dominick Stewart, Josh Reed, and Eli Rice.

Max Green drew first blood for Northwestern after a failed opening possession from Penn State. Rice and Nick Martinelli exchanged shots from beyond the arc to make it a 6-3 game before Rice converted another from the corner off a Mingo dime.

Mingo rifled the ball back to Rice, who drove into the paint but failed to add two points on an awkward layup attempt. Mingo let one fly from deep and met nothing but the back iron before Tyler Kropp punished the Nittany Lions from the top of the key.

Reed missed a dunk coming out of the first media timeout. Freddie Dilione V tossed a ball up to Melih Tunca on the Nittany Lions’ next possession, but turned the ball over once more. Dilione made up for it with a swift pass to Mason Blackwood in the paint for a calm reverse lay.

Jurić kicked out a pass to Rice in the corner, who hit nothing but nylon to knot the game at 11. Jordan Clayton made a three of his own to restore the Wildcats’ lead.

Tunca fed Justin Houser for a quick dunk to take Penn State’s first lead of the game. The advantage immediately teetered back in Northwestern’s favor behind a Martinelli trey.

Dilione made a tough run towards the cup, resulting in an and-one to reach five points on the night in the same amount of minutes. Both teams continued to exchange tough buckets in the paint before Tre Singleton popped the Wildcats’ sixth three of the night.

Singleton chucked a three with the shot clock down to two seconds. He snagged his own rebound and finished at the rim. Martinelli made his third three of the night, and Angelo Ciaravino hit an emphatic flush to sway a big wave of momentum in the Wildcats’ favor. Singleton laid another ball in with an aggressive drive as Rhoades called a timeout with just over five minutes remaining in the first half.

Stewart hit a corner three for the Nittany Lions coming out of the timeout. Tunca connected with Jurić for a quick flush as Penn State inched back within two points. The Nittany Lions held firm on their next defensive stand, but Tunca wasted their ensuing possession with an arrant shot in the paint.

Both teams went cold from deep to close the first half. Northwestern led 45-40.

Mingo lost the ball and stole it back in the opening two minutes of the second half. He drew the foul but knocked down only one of his foul shots. The work Penn State did in the first half to keep it close quickly unraveled behind a 6-0 Northwestern run to boost the Wildcats to an 11-point lead. Rhoades called a timeout with almost four minutes gone in the second frame.

Dilione missed a baseline shot out of the timeout as Martinelli drained a three. Jurić responded from the top of the key. Martinelli hit another jumper as Northwestern reached a 13-point lead.

Reed and Mingo took advantage of some quick Northwestern turnovers to wrestle the deficit down to seven. Chris Collins called a timeout with 12:26 remaining in the contest.

Singleton broke Penn State’s 8-0 run with a wide-open look in the paint. Mingo kept pace with a calm finish at the rim.

Ciaravino hit a corner three and flushed an emphatic dunk to push the Wildcats back up 10 points. Mingo refused to let Northwestern go on a run, making his way inside once more for another tough lay.

Northwestern ran away with the contest behind a 12-2 run over 3:38 to go up by 15 points. Martinelli tied his career-high 34 with a low-post jumper. Stewart and Clayton exchanged treys before the media timeout.

The Wildcats piled it on and drained the clock to end the game.

Takeaways

• Ivan Jurić has quietly served as one of Penn State’s most productive players on the hardwood in its last few games. This was his second consecutive game of 14+ points. He is the team’s most reliable rebounder and is a decent threat from downtown for a big man. He finished with 14 points, six boards, and four assists.
• At least the Nittany Lions held on into the second half. While Penn State has had competitive games go into the last possession this season, its recent run of games has been over by the intermission. Mike Rhoades’ squad at least matched Northwestern’s pace for around 30 minutes. Baby steps.

What’s Next?

Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center to take on Minnesota at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 1. Folks can watch the game on the NBC Sports Network and Peacock.