Penn State Basketball: Nittany Lions Recover Too Late to Beat Indiana

Penn State rallies from 16-point deficit but can't overcome a tough shooting afternoon vs. the Hoosiers at the Palestra.

Indiana center Oumar Ballo (11) takes free throws against Penn State basketball inside The Palestra. / Taj Falconer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State had a dreary shooting afternoon Sunday in Philadelphia, where the Nittany Lions "hosted" Indiana in a Big Ten basketball game at the Palestra. Despite another stellar crowd and a rowdy comeback, the Nittany Lions fell to Indiana 77-71 for their second conference loss of the season. Offense was the key.

Penn State (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten) shot a season-low 14.3 percent from 3-point range and a dire 58.8 percent from the foul line, giving the Hoosiers enough cushion to withstand a rally. The Nittany Lions cut a 16-point, second-half deficit to just two in the final 2 minutes before Indiana clipped the win with four free throws. In the simplest comparisons, Indiana went 16-for-22 from the foul line, while Penn State went 10-for-17. The Hoosiers (12-3, 3-1) shot 39.1 percent from 3-point range.

In particular, Penn State coach Mike Rhoades lamented how his team started the second half. Tied 29-29 at halftime, Indiana jumped on the Nittany Lions with a 12-0 run, buoyed by a pair of 3-pointers from Mackenzie Mgbako, who hit them following an offensive rebound and a turnover. Mgbako scored eight of Indiana's 12 points in the rally, for which Rhoades blamed himself.

"We weren't ready to play coming out of halftime," Rhoades told reporters in Philadelphia after the game. "That's on me. I'm mad at myself because we've had some really good starts to second halves. We didn't today. Not enough urgency to start the half. We always talk about, we want to win the middle eight [minutes], ... and we didn't do that today."

But Rhoades' teams often rally, which is what Penn State did against Indiana. Trailing by 16 points with 10:20 remaining, the Nittany Lions began their comeback on a Nick Kern Jr. layup. Freddie Dilione V made a pair of driving layups and a 3-pointer over the next 4:30, helping Penn State cut its deficit to four. The Nittany Lions contined to scrap, willing Indiana's lead to 73-71 on a Zach Hicks jumper, but the shots stopped falling thereafter. Penn State missed its last six shots of the game, a microcosm of a long stretch bracketing halftime in which the team missed 13 consecutive shots. Six were 3-point attempts, and one was a dunk.

"I love my team, I love our fight," Rhoades said to reporters after the game. "We didn't trust enough of what we do and how we do it with enough urgency. We were playing from behind and digging a hole. I thought, a lot of time, [we were] shooting outselves in our own foot. You can't do that. [There were] too many plays where we beat ourselves on both ends of the court against a good, disciplined team."

Kern paced Penn State with 21 points and three rebounds, while Ace Baldwin Jr. finished with 12 points, seven assists and three rebounds. Dilione added 11 points. Kern had his second 20-point game of the season.

"I loved our fight at the end," Rhoades said. "We talked avout it late in the game, being solid on defense, taking care of the ball and making our free throws. We just didn't do that enough to win today."

Up next

Penn State begins a difficult three-game stretch against ranked Big Ten teams with a Wednesday road trip to No. 22 Illinois. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.

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