UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team dropped an 80-72 battle to Michigan State Wednesday night inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
A 45-31 halftime advantage for Michigan State was strong enough to hold off a second-half Penn State surge as the Nittany Lions outscored the Spartans 41-35 in the second stanza.
Ace Baldwin Jr. and Zach Hicks led Penn State with 15 points apiece. Hicks was 5-for-6 from deep while Baldwin Jr. also contributed seven assists. Nick Kern Jr. tallied 14 points to round out Penn State's double-digit scorers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Nittany Lions got out to an early 7-2 lead three minutes into the game, but Michigan State responded with 20 of the next 26 points to pull ahead 22-13 with 9:19 left in the first half.
- A trio of free throws from Ace Baldwin Jr. and a Nick Kern Jr. dunk momentarily halted the Michigan State momentum to pull Penn State within five at 22-18 at the 8:13 mark, but the Spartans rattled off the next 10 points to surge ahead 32-18 with 6:07 left in the first half.
- The two teams scored 13 points apiece in the final six minutes of the opening term as Michigan State took a 45-31 lead into halftime.
- The Nittany Lions made five of their first seven shots of the second half while holding MSU to a 3-for-8 clip through the first five minutes to trim the Spartan edge to single digits at 52-43 with 14:55 to play.
- Penn State was within eight at 58-50 following four free throws from Puff Johnson and Baldwin Jr. at the 10:21 mark, but Michigan State responded with an 8-2 stretch that put the Spartan advantage at 66-52 with 7:52 left on the clock.
- The Nittany Lions kept battling, but the Spartans had an answer for every Penn State push as Michigan State earned the 80-72 win.
GAME NOTES
- The Nittany Lions shot 54.2 percent (13-24) from the field in the second half compared to their 37.9 percent (11-29) first-half clip.
- Penn State finished 52.2% (12-23) from deep and a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line.
- Michigan State scored 20 points off 15 Penn State turnovers.
- Ace Baldwin Jr. tallied 15 points and has now scored in double figures in all but six games in the 2023-24 campaign. Baldwin Jr. recorded a team-high seven assists.
- Zach Hicks tallied a season-best five triples, missing just one attempt from deep in his 15-point night. Hicks also secured two rebounds.
- Nick Kern Jr. went 6-for-7 from the floor, including knocking down both of his 3-point attempts, on his way to a 14-point night. Kern Jr. has now scored 10-plus points in back-to-back games.
- Kanye Clary tied his Big Ten career-high with five assists while adding eight points, two rebounds and two steals.
- Favour Aire played a career-high 19 minutes, tallying career-best marks in rebounds (four), blocks (two), and steals (one) while recording a season-best four points.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Mike Rhoades
Favour Aire and Zach Hicks
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions are back on the road this weekend to take on Nebraska at noon ET/11 a.m. CT Saturday on the Big Ten Network.
The 2023-24 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.