Penn State 80, Delaware State 76 (OT): D.J. Newbill matched a career high with 22 points and his layup snapped a tie with 31.9 seconds remaining in overtime as the host Nittany Lions rebounded after squandering an 11-point lead late in the second half.
Jermaine Marshall had 15 points and Sasa Borovnjak added 14 for Penn State (6-4), which jumped out to a 21-3 lead early in the contest. The Nittany Lions, however, were nearly undone by inept free-throw shooting and turnovers in the final three minutes of regulation.
Casey Walker scored 17 of his 24 points in the first half for Delaware State (5-6), which saw its two-game winning streak end.
With the teams tied in overtime, Newbill's driving layup gave the Nittany Lions a 78-76 lead. The Hornets failed in their bid to answer as Brandon Taylor grabbed the rebound and sank two subsequent free throws to ice the game.
Tyshawn Bell drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game at 69 with 12.5 seconds left in regulation. Bell added his third from beyond the arc to knot the contest at 76 in overtime.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Delaware State's leading scorer Tahj Tate didn't make his first field goal until he sank a 3-pointer with 8:01 remaining in the second half. The basket cut Penn State's lead to 59-49. ... Penn State F Pat Ackerman dressed for the game, but did not play. The sophomore had been suspended since Nov. 29 because of an unspecified violation of team rules. ... Freshman Akosa Maduegbunam scored his first career points with a baseline jumper as the Nittany Lions secured an 18-3 lead in the first half.
Delaware State | Penn St. | |
Casey Walker 24 | Scoring | D.J. Newbill 22 |
Albert Thomas 6 | Assists | Jermaine Marshall 5 |
Casey Walker 11 | Rebounds | Sasa Borovnjak 8 |
Tahj Tate 5 | Free Throws Made | Sasa Borovnjak 8 |
Tahj Tate 3 | Steals | Nick Colella 1 |
Kendall Gray 2 | Blocks | Brandon Taylor 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Delaware State | 76 | 40.0 | 10-30 | 18-24 | 10 | 31 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
Penn St. | 80 | 49.1 | 7-18 | 21-31 | 15 | 37 | 5 | 2 | 11 |