Jalen Pickett scored 15 points and Penn State held off a late charge to beat Indiana 61-58 Sunday in State College, Pa.
The Nittany Lions (6-5, 1-2 Big Ten) led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but Indiana cut the deficit to 59-58 on an inside basket by Trayce Jackson-Davis with 57 seconds remaining. But Penn State was able to hold Indiana scoreless on its final two offensive possessions, and Sam Sessoms made a pair of clutch free throws with 13 seconds left to help seal the win.
The Hoosiers (10-3, 1-2) had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation, but Rob Phinisee and Jackson-Davis both missed 3-point attempts before the clock expired.
Jackson-Davis led all scorers with 20 points for Indiana. The Hoosiers fell to 0-3 on the road this season and have dropped seven straight road games dating back to last season.
Myles Dread added 12 points for Penn State, including a big 3-pointer that put the Nittany Lions up 57-53 with 1:50 left. Penn State shot 50 percent (11-for-22) from 3-point range and also dominated on the boards, outrebounding Indiana 39-29.
Sessoms finished with 10 points.
Pickett scored eight points in the first half, including a jumper with 21 seconds left that allowed Penn State to take a slim 27-26 lead into halftime. The Nittany Lions overcame eight first-half turnovers by shooting 5 of 11 from 3-point range.
Indiana led by as many as five early in the first half, going up 16-11 on a Race Thompson 3-pointer. But the Nittany Lions answered with a 3-pointer from Dread to cut the Indiana lead to 16-14.
Seth Lundy put Penn State ahead 19-18 with a 3-pointer with 7:41 remaining in the half. Indiana responded with an 8-3 run, going up 26-22 on a hook shot from Jackson-Davis. But Penn State closed the half with a 5-0 run, holding Indiana scoreless the final 2:16 while scoring on a Lundy 3-pointer and Pickett's jumper.
Indiana shot just 36.7 percent from the field in the first half and 22.2 percent (2-for-9) from 3-point range. For the game, the Hoosiers were just 23.5 percent (4-for-17) from beyond the arc.
--Field Level Media
Indiana | Penn St. | |
Trayce Jackson-Davis 20 | Scoring | Jalen Pickett 15 |
Xavier Johnson 4 | Assists | Jalen Pickett 2 |
Race Thompson 10 | Rebounds | John Harrar 12 |
Trayce Jackson-Davis 4 | Free Throws Made | Jaheam Cornwall 4 |
Xavier Johnson 2 | Steals | Seth Lundy 2 |
Trayce Jackson-Davis 2 | Blocks | Seth Lundy 1 |