Men’s Basketball stays hot with their fourth straight victory over No. 8 Ohio State
University Park, Pa.- Penn State (19-9, 9-6 Big Ten) dominated the eighth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (22-6, 13-2 Big Ten) 79-56 Thursday night in front of a home crowd of 10,981, continuing their four-game win streak.
Sophomore guard Tony Carr led the Nittany Lions with 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting. It was his fourth 30-point game of the season.
“He was super efficient tonight,” Chambers said. “He’s a big-time player, his leadership was great and he did all the little things to help us win this game.”
Since the return of junior guard Josh Reaves, Penn State has been a different caliber basketball team with the identity being in the defense.
Tonight was no different as the team’s stingy defensive effort tallied up 28 defensive boards and eight steals, all while holding Bloomington, Illinois native Keita Bates-Diop to 10 points.
“Our guys were intense and played tough, physical Penn State Basketball,” Chambers said.
The Nittany Lions got off to a hot start, sharing the basketball around the perimeter and going 50% from beyond the arc.
With 8:30 remaining in the first half, Penn State went on a 13-2 run over a 3:27 period. Sophomore forward Lamar Stevens and Reaves made their presence known around the rim converting on critical and-one opportunities.
Forward Julian Moore came off the bench with two electrifying blocks on Ohio State’s Kaleb Wesson to end the first half. The Nittany Lions went into the locker room leading 45-21.
Shep Garner opened up scoring in the second half with a 23-foot jumper that brought the Bryce Jordan Center to its feet, continuing the momentum of a team hungry to make a statement.
“We’re not a push over and we are going to keep making statements,” Carr said. “Last game at OSU was not a fluke.”
The Buckeyes went on a run 12-0 run early in the second but Carr and Garner were on fire from three. Garner finished with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
The Nittany Lions were able to do something that they have been striving to for quite some time: close out the half strong.
All-around scoring from Mike Watkins, who had his twentieth career double-double, Stevens, Carr, and Garner allowed Penn State to lead the Buckeyes for 37 minutes.
The Nittany Lions are set to take on the Purdue Boilermakers Sunday at 8 p.m. on BTN.
Tia Pattillo is a senior majoring in psychology neuroscience. To contact her, email tpp5065@psu.edu.
