For Ohio State's Evan Mahaffey, a Tough Return to Penn State

Penn State fans greet Mahaffey with chants of "traitor" in his return to the Bryce Jordan Center with the Buckeyes.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Former Penn State forward Evan Mahaffey, who transferred to Ohio State after one season under Micah Shrewsberry, returned to the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday for the first time. Mahaffey didn't receive the warmest welcome from the Penn State faithful, who reveled in the Nittany Lions' 83-80 comeback victory over the Buckeyes.

Some in Penn State's student section yelled “sucks” with extra emphasis when Mahaffey was introduced as a starter. They then booed him raucously every time he touched the ball. Other fans yelled “traitor” at Mahaffey relentlessly. Mahaffey’s stat line probably wasn’t what he hoped it would be in his return, as he scored five points with three turnovers in 31 minutes. Mahaffey appeared frustrated with himself at times, including a late turnover in the middle of a 5-0 Penn State run.

“He's a great kid, and I think everybody who knows him knows he's a great kid,” Holtmann said. “He was really focused on the team doing well, and you hear stuff from the crowd, but he really focused on just playing well.”

Mahaffey, who played in 34 games for the Nittany Lions last season, was among four players from that NCAA Tournament team who transferred. Mahaffey has started all 10 of Ohio State's games this season. He returned to the Bryce Jordan Center following his best game for the Buckeyes. Mahaffey had 10 points and two steals in Ohio State's win over Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday.

 The homecoming wasn't new. In fact, it marked the second consecutive Penn State-Ohio State game in State College in which a new Buckeye played his former team. In December 2021, former Nittany Lion Jamari Wheeler returned to Penn State after transferring to Ohio State (before Micah Shrewsberry was hired). Wheeler had nine points, eight assists and five rebounds in the Buckeyes' 76-64 victory.

Noteworthy

Penn State won its third straight game over Ohio State dating to 2022. It's the third such streak in Penn State history.

Penn State rallied from an 18-point, second-half deficit to beat Ohio State. The Lions last overcame a deficit of 15 points or more in a victory over No. 21 Maryland last March.

Penn State scored 54 points in the second half, its best second-half performance since scoring 55 against Canisius last December.

Five Penn State player scored in double figures for the first time since the Nittany Lions' win over Texas A&M in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Kanye Clary led with 19

Penn State forced Ohio State into a season-high 16 turnovers.

Up next

Penn State has finals week off before playing Georgia Tech on Saturday in a unique trip to Madison Square Garden in New York. Tip-off is scheduled for noon ET. 

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.

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