Penn State men’s basketball (11-14, 2-12 Big Ten) fell to Oregon (8-16, 1-12 Big Ten) 83-72, on Saturday afternoon in Eugene, Oregon.

Coming off their road win at Washington on Wednesday, the Nittany Lions were outplayed by the worst team in the conference. Kayden Mingo had 24 points in the defeat.

How It Happened

Freddie Dilione V pinned the ball on the backboard with a massive block on the Ducks’ opening possession of the game. Ivan Jurić was called for an illegal screen on the other end of the court, and both teams started with empty trips. Dilione answered the Ducks triple with a 2-point jumper.

Oregon had a small 6-4 lead at the first media timeout. Kayden Mingo knocked down one of two shots from the free-throw line out of the break. Mingo went back to work a few possessions later, and the Nittany Lions were up 11-6.

Dilione grabbed a steal, and Melih Tunca turned the turnover into two points the other way. Tunca committed a turnover of his own, and the Ducks cut into the Penn State lead with eight minutes gone in the first half. After an unsuccessful Dana Altman challenge by Oregon, Elic Rice turned the ball over, and the sloppy play by both teams persisted.

An 8-0 run by Oregon gave the home team the lead for a short time, but Mingo stole it back with another layup by the freshman. Mingo and Nate Bittle traded baskets a few minutes later with the score remaining close. Bittle connected from distance on his second 3-pointer to give his squad the 22-21 advantage.

Oregon continued to be hot from deep, starting 6-9 from three-point range through 13 minutes. After a Reed turnover, Bittle slammed it home in transition, and Mike Rhoades was forced to call a timeout, trailing 27-23.

Dezdrick Lindsay went straight to the rim and scored with ease to extend Oregon’s lead after the timeout. Tunca assisted Jurić under the hoop to stop the 13-2 Ducks run. Rice connected on his first 3-pointer of the afternoon off a pass from Mason Blackwood a few possessions later.

Oregon led 34-28 at the final media timeout of the first half. Bittle kept making the blue and white hurt inside and out in the first half. The Ducks began to pull away in the closing minutes with the Penn State defense starting to crumble. Mingo responded with a floater in the paint to close the gap. The Nittany Lions trailed 38-30 with a minute to go.

Jurić cut into the deficit on Penn State’s final possession, and the Nittany Lions went into halftime down 38-32.

Searching for a winning streak in Eugene. pic.twitter.com/UCgZVisGHl

— Onward State (@OnwardState) February 14, 2026

Both teams opened the second half shooting the ball well. The Nittany Lions cut it to a one-possession game off a Dominick Stewart triple. Penn State trailed 46-43 at the first media timeout of the second half.

Dilione tied it up at 46 with a triple only five minutes into the half. The Ducks grabbed the lead again on their next possession. An and-one by the home team extended the lead to 52-46. Stewart missed a triple, but Jurić grabbed a board and was fouled underneath.

Mingo, who normally doesn’t shoot well from deep, found his stroke and hit a 3-pointer off the extra possession. Rice fouled Takai Simpkins at the rim out of a timeout, and Simpkins hit both foul shots. Mingo turned it over on the next possession, and the Ducks turned it into another 3-pointer.

Dilione found the answer with a one-legged jumper for Penn State. Jurić fouled Bittle on the other end, and he hit two more free throws. After another Jurić turnover and an Oregon dunk, the Ducks had their largest lead of the game at 62-51 with 9:53 to play.

Mingo drilled his second shot from deep out of a timeout to keep the Nittany Lions within striking distance. Reed made one of two shots at the charity stripe on the next possession. Lindsay hit another triple, and Oregon’s lead was back up to 11 points. With both teams in the bonus, fouls became an issue on either side.

The freshman is ON in Eugene pic.twitter.com/uqb3Etr7oX

— Onward State (@OnwardState) February 14, 2026

Dilione was fouled on a jumper with a chance to cut into the deficit with under seven minutes to play. Mingo forced another turnover after Dilione’s free throws, and the freshman went to the line. Mingo hit one of two at the line.

Jurić fouled Bittle at the rim, and his day was done with his fifth foul. Mingo scored another layup for his 20th point of the afternoon, but Penn State’s defense could not stop fouling on the other end. Oregon didn’t look back down the stretch and extended its lead to 15 points.

Penn State cut it back to 10, but time was running out, and Oregon cruised in the final minutes to its second Big Ten win, with an 83-72 victory.

Takeaways

• Oregon was scorching hot from distance in the first half. The difference in the first half was three’s over two’s. The Nittany Lions lived in the paint while the Ducks let it rain from deep.
• Kayden Mingo dominated in the paint once again. The freshman finished with 24 points.
• Penn State is coming home after a successful road trip. Despite the loss this afternoon, Rhoades has to be happy leaving the West Coast with one of two wins.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions return home from their west coast trip at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18, against Rutgers at the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.