Both Penn State basketball teams will again be playing in Rec Hall this winter.
It was announced late Wednesday afternoon that the women’s team will be taking on Maryland at Rec Hall Jan. 29 with the men playing Ohio State the next night.
From one era to another 🔄
Return to Rec ➡️ Penn State vs. Ohio State ➡️ 1.30.25
🔗: https://t.co/Uk3zUvnujO#WeArePennState | @GoPSUsports pic.twitter.com/XByXo43TmK
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) September 25, 2024
Tell a friend to tell a friend 🗣️…
We’re going to back to Rec Hall 📍#LionMentality pic.twitter.com/wRH5SFm3Oz
— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) September 25, 2024
For the men, it will be hard to top last season’s “Return to Rec.”
It was the first time the men had played in Rec Hall— which was built in 1929 and where Penn State played its home games regularly until 1996– since December 2015, which was a 54-50 win over Louisiana Monroe. This one was a little more dramatic.
Penn State came back from a 14-point deficit to beat Illinois.
Zach Hicks nailed three free throws with four seconds left to put Penn State ahead, 90-89, and those proved to be the winning points. Afterward, the fans stormed the court.
In his postgame presser, coach Mike Rhoades was asked if he believed a win like this could advance the program.
“You’re damn right, I do,” he said.
And why is that?
“I’m a huge, huge believer in young people, when they come together, when they stick together, when they go through stuff together,” Rhoades said. “It’s amazing what they can accomplish and what they can believe and how they believe in each other. Maybe tonight was that moment.”
The women’s team’s return to Rec Hall didn’t go nearly as well.
Playing there for the first time since moving into the Jordan Center in 1996, Penn State ran into No. 2 Ohio State and fell 82-69.
The men’s team will also be returning to Philadelphia’s historic Palestra this January, taking on Indiana Jan. 5.
