Unlike last year’s return to Rec Hall game, there was no magical comeback win for the Nittany Lions. Ohio State picked up their fourth road win of the year, 83 - 64. Penn State has now lost three consecutive games and seven of their last eight.

What was once a season with high expectations for the Nittany Lions has completely and utterly crashed in Mike Rhoades’ second year. Penn State sits at 16th in the Big Ten, and if the season ended today, not only would they miss the NCAA tournament but the Big Ten tournament as well.

In the previous two losses to Iowa and Michigan, the team showed plenty of fight, just narrowly losing heavily contested games in the final seconds. But tonight was different. There was noticeably less effort throughout the second half, and many players seemingly gave up early.

A lot of credit must also be given to Jake Diebler and the Ohio State Buckeyes. They came into a ruckus environment and dominated a team in desperate need of a win. The Buckeyes scored 36 points in the paint and 18 second-chance points. Ohio State had 18 more rebounds, including nine more offensive rebounds. The Buckeyes also had six steals, compared to just one for the Nittany Lions. Penn State didn’t help themselves either, shooting just 50% on layups and going 16-29 from the Free Throw line.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser with a ferocious slam over Ohio State’s Ivan Njegovan.

The Nittany Lions begin February by hosting the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Tuesday, February 4th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State will then head to California for matchups with UCLA and USC.