Penn State Basketball Beats Minnesota For First Big Ten Road Win of 2025

Yanic Konan Niederhauser scores a career-high 24 points as the Nittany Lions win consecutive conference games for the first time this season.

Penn State Nittany Lions forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser shoots as Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Parker Fox (23) defends during the second half at Williams Arena. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Yanic Konan Niederhauser exploded for 24 points, seven rebounds and five blocks, leading Penn State basketball to a 69-60 win at Minnesota and keeping alive the team's Big Ten Tournament hopes. The Nittany Lions (15-13, 5-12 Big Ten) won their second straight game and climbed out of last place in the conference standings with three to play.

Niederhauser played his most dominant game of the season, scoring a season-high 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting. The 6-10 forward scored 14 points in the second half, including six during Penn State's 13-0 run that changed the game. Niederhauser also drew seven fouls, went 6-for-7 from the foul line and played 31 minutes. Niederhauser has scored a combined 43 points in Penn State's last two games.

"Maybe his best game he's had this year," Penn State coach Mike Rhoades told reporters in Minneapolis after the game. "The stat line's pretty impressive, him drawing seven fouls, and he had five blocks but he had other shots that he made them miss. I thought he played with great activity and didn't get in foul trouble in 31 minutes. We're a better basketball team with him on the floor. He's just so coachable. He's a young man who really cares about the right stuff and wants to get better. We went through a tough stretch, and he was the most coachable guy around."

Penn State didn't start the game sharply on the road, as Minnesota jumped to a 13-6 lead while the Nittany Lions missed seven of nine shots. But Penn State rallied to take a two-point lead at halftime and then asserted itself defensively in the second half. The Nittany Lions held Minnesota scoreless for more than 5 minutes, pushing their lead as high as 14 points and giving them a buffer to withstand the Golden Gophers' late run. Minnesota made it a 3-point game with 1:44 to play, but Penn State held on at the foul line, and Niederhauser punctuated the win by turning a dunk into a 3-point play with 11 seconds remaining.

"Really proud of our guys, especially after the first few minutes of that game," Rhoades said. "I liked our resolve, I liked how we responded to adversity. Different guys made plays throughout the game, but I just felt as a collective unit our guys did a really good job of getting stops in the half court on the road, and that's really hard in the Big Ten."

The win was Penn State's first in a Big Ten road game this season. Before Saturday, the Nittany Lions were 0-7 on the road in the conference. They also put together their first two-game win streak in Big Ten play this season, following an 89-72 home win over Nebraska. Penn State had lost three straight games to Minnesota, including a 69-61 decision at the Bryce Jordan Center on Feb. 4, and were 4-23 overall against Minnesota on the road.

Penn State now has a glimmer of light regarding the Big Ten Tournament, which begins March 12. But it won't be easy. The Nittany Lions visit Indiana on Wednesday before closing the regular season with games against ranked teams Maryland at home and Wisconsin on the road.

"We'd better," Rhoades said when asked if the team has a sense of urgency. "We had about six weeks where things weren't going our way. As a coach you say, 'Keep going, keep going,' [and the players say], "But it keeps happening coach, what do you mean?' In this conference, nothing's easy. It's unforgiving. But I think that's part of going through the struggle."

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