Fatts Russell scored all 18 of his points in the second half and Eric Ayala added 10 of his 13 points after the break as Maryland ended its jinx against Penn State with a 67-61 Big Ten victory Monday night in College Park, Md.
Donta Scott added 12 points for Maryland (13-14, 5-11 Big Ten), which pulled away in the second half and held on to win its second straight while snapping a four-game skid against the Nittany Lions.
Penn State (11-13, 6-10) was led by Sam Sessoms, who scored 17 points. John Harrar tallied 14 points and 13 rebounds while Jalen Pickett added 13 points for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State had a 34-30 lead early in the second half before Russell and Ayala heated up. A three-point play by Russell followed by a 3-pointer by Ayala handed the Terps the lead, 38-34.
A few minutes later, consecutive 3-pointers by Russell and Ayala triggered a 15-3 run. Ayala added two more buckets in the spree and Hakim Hart capped it with a steal and breakaway three-point play as the Terps grabbed a 55-42 edge.
The Nittany Lions made it interesting as Seth Lundy started a comeback with a 3-pointer. In the final 43 seconds, Sessoms hit a 3-pointer and another jumper.
But Russell grabbed a late steal and made 8 of 10 free throws over the last 53 seconds to close it out.
In the first half, Qudus Wahab scored all seven of his points in the first five minutes to help stake Maryland to a six-point lead. Pickett retaliated for Penn State, hitting a 3-pointer, sinking an elbow jumper and making a steal to feed Lundy for a 3-pointer.
Late in the half, Dallion Johnson's 3-pointer gave the Nittany Lions a 28-24 lead before Scott got a bucket and Ian Martinez followed with a steal and breakaway layup to tie it 28-28 at halftime.
--Field Level Media
Penn St. | Maryland | |
Sam Sessoms 17 | Scoring | Fatts Russell 18 |
Jalen Pickett 6 | Assists | Ian Martinez 4 |
John Harrar 13 | Rebounds | Qudus Wahab 7 |
Jevonnie Scott 2 | Free Throws Made | Fatts Russell 9 |
Jalen Pickett 4 | Steals | Hakim Hart 4 |
Caleb Dorsey 1 | Blocks | Donta Scott 1 |