The (8-2) Penn State men’s basketball team looked to rebound off a loss against the Indiana Hoosiers this past Tuesday night as they welcomed the No. 9 ranked (8-1) Michigan State Spartans to State College in their first Big Ten home game this season.
Behind five points from Divine Ugochukwu and four points from Jaxon Kohler, the Spartans got off to an 11-8 lead at the (14:37) mark. The Blue and White were not playing intimidated, and Penn State’s Kayden Mingo had four points and two rebounds for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State’s Freddie Dilione then knocked in a three to make the score 17-11 Spartans (12:27). Ugockukwu was leading MSU with 5 points and Kohler and Coen Carr had 4 points apiece for the Spartans.
The Nittany Lions kept rotating fresh bodies into the game. Penn State’s, Ivan Juric, got hot with two post makes and a clutch three from deep to tie the game, 20-20, with (8:44) left in the first half. The BJC was rocking.
Penn State was roaring back and was up 29-22 at the (7:01) mark of the first half. Juric and Dilione exploded offensively. Juric had 7 points and Dilione, nine, in the run.
Michigan State’s, Kur Teng, quieted the BJC crowd, with a made triple to cut into Penn State’s lead. The score was Penn State 31, MSU 27 with (3:59) to play in the first half.
PSU’s, Melih Tunca, got into the scoring column with a three of his own and the score was the Nittany Lions 34, Spartans 31 (2:00).
Penn State’s, Eli Rice, and Michigan State’s, Jordan Scott, traded threes and with PSU’s, Tibor Mirtic’s reverse layup as time expired, the score at halftime was the Nittany Lions 39, Spartans 36.
To start the second half, Michigan State retook the lead, 45-41, behind Ugochukwu’s quick seven points (15:38).
Penn State was shooting cold from the field, and the Spartans took advantage. After a made Jordan Scott made three it was the Spartans increasing their lead to ten, 51-41 (14:35).
But the Nittany Lions started a run of their own with a made jumper from Mingo and an and-1 from Eli Rice. Juric and Dilione got into the mix and Penn State regained the lead, 52-51, with (12:16) left in the game.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The Spartans, however, did not blink, and they regained the lead until PSU’s Kayden Mingo tied the game at 58-58 (8:01). Then Penn State battled back and retook the lead, 60-58, after a fast break, transition layup from Dilione (7:26).
With (5:39) to go in the game, Eli Rice converted an and-1 drive to the hoop to make the score Penn State 65, Michigan State 62.
The Spartan’s Ugochukwu with (3:22) to play knocked in his fourth three of the game and gave the Spartans the lead back, 69-67. Ugochukwu was 4-of-4 from deep at this point in the game.
The Nittany Lion’s, Freddie Dilione, had a 1 and 1 from the free throw line, but couldn’t convert and the score stayed Michigan State 69 PSU 67 with (1:09) left in the game.
On Michigan State’s next possession, Ugochukwu drilled his fifth 3-point shot of the game to extend MSU’s lead to five, 72-67, with 36.7 seconds to play. Then PSU’s Dilione, responded, and hit a jumper to cut the lead to four with 28.4 seconds left in the game.
Penn State put on their full-court press to try to create a turnover.
Dilione nailed a clutch three with 8.1 seconds left to make the score MSU 74, PSU 72.
Time was running out, and the Nittany Lions had to keep fouling and the Spartans kept making their free throws.
FINAL: Michigan State 76, Penn State 72
