Rapid Reaction: Penn State Steals Win from Indiana

Indiana gives up 15 steals and struggles to score from the perimeter in an ugly 15-point loss to No. 24 Penn State.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It was a rough night for shooters on both ends, but Penn State did more with 15 steals to get past Indiana 64-49 Wednesday night.

The Hoosiers, who have struggled on the road all year, just didn't have it, especially in the second half. Despite being even at the break, this game turned into a blowout.

With the loss, Indiana is now 5-5 in the Big Ten, and 15-6 overall. Penn State is 5-4 and 15-5, victors over the Hoosiers for the first time in three years.

"Inside, they were really forceful. They created a lot of attention and drew a lot of fouls,'' Indiana coach Archie Miller said. "The second half, we just played terrible. We had a real hard time getting anything generated offensively,''

Indiana got off to a decent start, being tied at halftime thanks to quality play from true freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had 10 points and six rebounds.

Indiana's guards had their worst night of the season. Starters Rob Phinisee (0-for-6) and Al Durham (1-for-7) struggled to score, and bench guys Devonte Green (2-for-10) and Armaan Franklin (0-for-3) didn't either.

Jackson-Davis had 14, and Justin Smith added 13 for the Hoosiers

Lamar Stevens was Penn State's leading scorer with 17 points. Curtis Jones, who spent two years at Indiana from 2015 to 2017, added 12 off the bench against his former team.

Indiana is now 1-4 on the road in the Big Ten, and they haven't been competitive either. In their four losses, they have lost by an average of 15 points per game. 

"We had some time off, and I think you saw that in the second half,'' Penn State coach Pat Chambers said. "We had fresh legs, and our guys really stepped up. They played three games in seven days, and I  thought that showed in the second half.''