With their tournament hopes quickly beginning to fade, the Nittany Lions put themselves back on the map, snapping a four game losing streak with an 80 - 72 win at home against Rutgers.

Penn State led by just two at half and trailed by as many as six early in the 2nd half. But a strong rally in the middle of the second half was enough to pick up the team’s 13th win of the season.

Rutgers didn’t go down without a fight though. The Scarlet Knights switched their defense after the under four media timeout, mixing in a full court press and 1-3-1 zone with their standard man to man. They cut the lead down to just 2 with 1:27 remaining.

Projected 2025 NBA Draft lottery pick Ace Bailey scored 30 points on an extremely effective 13 - 15 shooting but had two costly technical fouls and fouled out prior to the game’s conclusion. Dylan Harper, the Scarlet Knights' second projected lottery draft pick, scored just seven points on 11 field goals after putting up 34 in a victory against the Nittany Lions back in December.

For the Nittany Lions, it was the Ace Baldwin Jr show. The nation's best perimeter defender scored 22 points and added on eight assists five steals. Yanic Konan Niederhauser (18), Nick Kern Jr (16), and Freddie Dilione V (12) also had double digit scoring days for Penn State.

Freddie Dilione V hits his fourth three of the game to give the Nittany Lions the lead

Coach Rhoades’ squad will hit the road for games at Iowa and Michigan on Friday and Monday, respectively. The Hawkeyes currently own a 12-6 record and are on a two game losing streak, but play against Minnesota before they see the Nittany Lions. The Wolverines are ranked 21st in this week’s AP poll with a 14-4 record. They have a date with Purdue in West Lafayette before playing Penn State. After the road trip, the Nittany Lions return home to play against a struggling Ohio State in Rec Hall on Thursday, January 30th.