Penn State was looking to ride some major momentum when it traveled to Northwestern, and the Nittany Lions carried over the energy from an upset win against Indiana to top the Wildcats.
Northwestern came out of the gates hot, nailing three 3-pointers in the first four minutes to jump out to a 9-2 lead. John Harrar helped Penn State keep pace, scoring each of the blue and white’s first seven points.
The Nittany Lions stormed back with a pair of threes from Myles Dread and Jalen Pickett, but Northwestern’s bench quickly brought the lead right back.
Some back-and-forth action told the story of most of the first half. Seth Lundy made some nice hustle plays on the boards for Penn State.
Northwestern held a 34-29 lead going into the break, though, fueled by 10 points from Boo Buie and a 46.7% 3-point percentage.
Penn State only turned it over four times through the majority of the first half, helping key one of its best first-half offensive performances of the year. Three giveaways in the late stages hurt the cause, however.
Greg Lee got the scoring started in the second half, but Buie and Northwestern roared right back with a three. A 7-1 run heading into the under-16 break helped the Wildcats gain some momentum.
Both teams went on a nearly seven-minute scoring drought before Northwestern surged to its largest lead of the night midway through the period.
Penn State clawed back and tied the game with an 14-4 run that stretched from just over nine minutes to the under-four timeout.
A four-point play from Lundy gave Penn State its first lead in a long time, but Northwestern tied it right back up with roughly a minute left.
Lundy quieted the crowd shortly thereafter, draining a triple off the bounce to give the lead back to the Nittany Lions.
Buie couldn’t hit a layup on the ensuing possession, and Sam Sessoms hit both ends of a 1-and-1 to move the lead to five points.
Northwestern made it interesting late, hitting a 3-pointer and stealing an inbound pass, but Chase Audige missed the game-tying bucket with one second left.
Penn State held on for a wild win 74-70.
PICKETT AND LUNDY CARRY IN LATE STAGES
Pickett has been perhaps the most consistent member of Penn State’s roster over the last few games, and he continued that trend when it mattered most against Northwestern.
The 6-foot-4 guard was a major factor in the Nittany Lions’ second-half run, climbing up to 18 points with a couple of big-time shots.
Penn State’s leading scorer, Lundy, came up in the clutch in a big way. He hit two massive 3-pointers in the waning moments to give the Nittany Lions the lead each time.
He finished the night with a game-high 23 points, none bigger than the ones he put up in the late stages.
BUIE LEADS THE BARRAGE FOR NORTHWESTERN
Buie and Robbie Beran helped the first-half shooting outburst from the Wildcats, each scoring a pair of triples.
The 7-for-15 shooting from deep carried Northwestern to its lead, as a 38.7% mark from the floor overall wasn’t overly impressive in the first period.
Buie was the story throughout the night, finishing with 22 points on a 8-for-14 night, including 5 3-pointers.
The Wildcats ended the night with 12-made 3-pointers, including a massive four-point play from Ty Berry midway through the second half. The 46.2% mark was extremely impressive, but just wasn’t enough to overcome the late surge from the Nittany Lions.
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