Seth Lundy knocked down 16 points en route to punching the Nittany Lions' ticket to the Big Ten Tournament semifinal game.
Penn State's comeback effort fell just short to the Bruins in the opening match of the Outrigger Challenge in Hawaii.
After 110 minutes of action, Quinnipiac ended Penn State's championship dreams.
The No. 12-seeded Nittany Lions overcame the No. 7-seeded Fighting Illini to push Penn State to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
Three games in as many days over 4,700 miles away will test the mental and physical strength of the Nittany Lions.
Roman Bravo-Young and Carter Starocci will serve as the Nittany Lions' top-seeded competitors in Tulsa.