UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men’s basketball team dropped a 75-73 heartbreaker to Washington Saturday afternoon inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Nittany Lions had two chances at game-tying or game-winning shots in the final 30 seconds but weren’t able to convert. Washington finished the game shooting 47.8 percent (11-23) from 3-point range.
Ace Baldwin Jr. led the Nittany Lions with 20 points, eight assists and six steals. Baldwin Jr. was one of five Nittany Lions in double figures as Freddie Dilione V (15 points), D’Marco Dunn (12 points), Yanic Konan Niederhauser (10 points), and Zach Hicks (10 points) each finished in double figures against the Huskies.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A Zach Hicks 3-pointer just over three minutes into the game capped a strong opening stretch for the Nittany Lions as Penn State jumped out to a 9-5 lead.
- D’Marco Dunn nailed a triple at the 11:27 mark to put Penn State’s edge at 18-12 as the Nittany Lions started the game 3-for-5 from deep and the PSU defense held Washington to a 5-for-17 clip (29.4%) from the field through the opening eight-plus minutes.
- A Freddie Dilione V 3-pointer with 10:30 on the clock sparked a 9-2 Penn State run over the next minute and a half as the Nittany Lions pulled ahead 27-17 and forced a Washington timeout at 8:53.
- Hicks converted a four-point play at 7:00 that pushed Penn State’s lead to 13 at 31-18.
- The Huskies responded with a 9-0 run over a 3:06 stretch that trimmed the Nittany Lion lead to four at 31-27 with 3:26 to play in the opening term.
- Penn State was back up seven following an Ace Baldwin Jr. 3-pointer that put the score at 38-31 with 1:16 on the clock, but the Huskies scored the final three points of the half to put the score at 38-34 heading into halftime.
- Washington scored six-straight out of the midway point to pull ahead 40-38. The lead changed hands four times in the first five minutes of play as Penn State found an answer for every Husky run and went ahead 52-48 as the clock ticked below 14:00 in the second half.
- Penn State fell behind thanks to a 5-0 run by Washington, but a steal from Baldwin Jr. led to a fast-break basket that kick-started a 6-0 stretch for the Nittany Lions that put them up five with 9:55 on the clock.
- Back-to-back triples for the Huskies started an 11-2 stretch that Penn State answered with an 8-3 spurt that took the clock all the way down to the 4:13 mark.
- A late 8-3 run for Washington put it up 75-71 with less than a minute remaining.
- Penn State got a bucket from D’Marco Dunn and threatened to score as time ticked down, but a last-second three-ball from Baldwin Jr. did not fall and Penn State dropped the home contest by a final score of 75-73.
GAME NOTES
- Penn State has now been within four points in the final two minutes of eight of its 13 losses this season.
- Ace Baldwin Jr. recorded his sixth 20-plus point game of the season and first since Jan. 20 against Rutgers. He finished with 20 points, eight assists and a season-high six steals.
- Baldwin Jr. is only one assist away from 800 in his career as his eight against the Huskies brought him to 799.
- Penn State had five players score in double figures for the first time in calendar year 2025 as Baldwin Jr. (20 points), Freddie Dilione V (15 points), D’Marco Dunn (12 points), Yanic Konan Niederhauser (10 points), and Zach Hicks (10 points) all hit 10 in the game.
- Konan Niederhauser recorded the third double-double of his 2024-25 campaign, pairing his 10 points with 11 rebounds.
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions remain home Wednesday to host Nebraska inside the Bryce Jordan Center. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. and the game will air on Big Ten Network.
The 2024-25 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.