Penn State basketball brought a two-game winning streak into Bloomington, Indiana, on Wednesday, looking to keep its Big Ten Tournament hopes alive.
The Nittany Lions were facing an Indiana team that had lost seven of its last 10 but were coming off an impressive home win over No. 13 Purdue.
To start the game, neither side could gain much ground, as efficient shooting kept the game within six points throughout the first half. By the intermission, Penn State and Indiana combined to shoot 31-of-50 (62%).
By the under-12 media timeout, the game was knotted up at 53 and had six lead changes and seven ties. Penn State was able to distance itself by five (63-58) after Ace Baldwin Jr. made three free throws, but Indiana kept fighting. A Nick Kern Jr. layup put Penn State up two (69-67), but that would be the last lead it would hold.
On a baseline out of bounds play, Trey Galloway sprung open for a right-wing 3 to give Indiana its first lead since it was 52-51. Baldwin Jr. had a chance to regain the advantage on the next possession, but his miss sparked a transition opportunity for Indiana. Myles Rice raced up the floor and found Galloway for another 3, which he buried, triggering a Penn State timeout.
After Zach Hicks missed a layup and Yanic Konan Niederhauser fouled on the offensive rebound, Indiana’s Anthony Leal went to the free-throw line to make it an 8-0 run for the Hoosiers. In the matter of 68 seconds, Penn State went from leading by two to trailing by six.
The Nittany Lions showed some life after four points by Freddie Dilione V and Konan Niederhauser, but Rice’s personal 5-0 run put the metaphorical nail in the coffin.
Penn State basketball kept pace with Indiana’s red-hot shooting in the first half, but the Hoosiers outperformed the Nittany Lions in the second. With the loss, Penn State’s Big Ten Tournament hopes might have just slipped through its hands.
INDIANA SCORCHES NETS TO END PENN STATE’S WIN STREAK
Coming into Wednesday’s game, Indiana ranked 16th in the Big Ten in 3-point efficiency (31.1%). Over the Hoosiers’ last 10 games, that number had dropped to 29.9%. After the first 20 minutes against Penn State, though, Indiana was 4-of-7 from deep.
Heading into the locker room, Penn State was able to narrowly hold onto a two-point lead because it had made four of its eight 3s. However, as the game progressed, the Nittany Lions came back down to earth, while the Hoosiers continued their climb into the stratosphere.
Indiana shot 53.8% in the second half and bested its first half 3-point performance, going 6-of-8. Penn State, meanwhile, shot 42.3% from the field and connected on only three of its 10 attempts from behind the arc.
While Oumar Ballo (20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals) dominated in nearly every facet, Galloway might’ve taken home the game ball.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Following Wednesday’s game, you might not have guessed that the fifth-year senior had been one of the worst volume shooters in the Big Ten. According to Stathead, 49 players had attempted at least 86 3s before Feb. 26. Galloway was 39th in percentage (30.2%). During that momentum swinging 8-0 run, his second 3-pointer made him a perfect 4-of-4.
Just running through the tape from last night’s game, and this B.O.B. (baseline out of bounds) from Indiana was kind of a turning point in the game 🧵 pic.twitter.com/IqZTSHTHVE
— Brennan Valladares (@Valladares7B) February 27, 2025
The Indiana guard finished the game 4-of-5, but his last attempt came at the end of the shot clock. His damage had already been done well before then.
WILL THE NEXT TWO GAMES BE THE LAST FOR PENN STATE?
Wednesday’s game was a must-win game for Penn State basketball. With the loss, the Nittany Lions stayed slotted 17th in the conference standings and remain 1.5 games back from the 15th seed.
The Big Ten was already a beast before expansion. Now with the “narrowed” tournament field (quotes because one more team makes it but three don’t), winning out the season was the only way to keep PSU’s postseason hopes alive.
And after two consecutive wins against Nebraska and Minnesota, the margin for error seemed to widen just a bit. Dropping the game against Indiana, though, might have officially closed the doors on this team.
Penn State’s last two games are against No. 16 Maryland and at No. 11 Wisconsin. ESPN ranks the Nittany Lions’ last two games as the eighth hardest in the country, and KenPom projects both will be losses.
This season will end up as a step backwards in the win column for Mike Rhoades and Co., but athletic director Pat Kraft seems to have all the confidence in the world in his men’s basketball coach.
“… I just tell everybody, just stick with us, sweat with us,” Kraft said Monday. “I’m more than ever confident in what he can do here.”
Even if Penn State misses the conference tournament this year, Kraft knows it will be a process to transform this program into a true competitor in the Big Ten. He also knows what the end goal is.
“We’re not looking short term,” Kraft continued. “I want to build this so that it is a consistent tournament (team). … And make no bones about it: the NCAA Tournament is the objective. And he knows that.”
