UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Welcome to the GoPSUsports.com in-game blog for the Nittany Lion basketball team.

 

Take a look back at Penn State's 24-point victory over Northwestern in the Bryce Jordan Center.

 

Check back throughout the game for updates at every media timeout.

 

Starting Lineups

Penn State: G - Battle, G - Frazier, F - Jackson, F - Brooks, C - Jones

Northwestern: G - Michael Thompson, G - JerShon Cobb, F - Drew Crawford, F - John Shurna, C - Luka Mirkovic

First Half:

15:08: Penn State 7, Northwestern 5

Talor Battle stands just one point shy of making history in the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday afternoon.  The talented senior drained a transition 3-pointer at the 17:51 mark to put the Lions up by four.  Both teams are getting a feel for the game in the early game.  Drew Crawford has all five of Northwestern's points.  Jeff Brooks is a matchup nightmare inside for the Wildcats, and the Lions need to get the ball in his hands.

10:47: Penn State 14, Northwestern 13

The fans in the BJC witnessed a bit of history at the 13:17 mark of the first half on Sunday.  Battle drained a 3-pointer on the right wing in front of the Northwestern bench to become the 22nd player in Big Ten history to reach 2,000 points for his career.  He did it in fitting style on a 3-pointer that never grazed the iron.  As for the game, Penn State's man-to-man defense has yielded a number of quality looks.  The Lions have shot 4-of-11 from the field in the early going, but lead by one.

6:49: Penn State 18, Northwestern 13

The Nittany Lions have stretched the lead to five on the heels of a 6-0 run from Brooks and Battle.  Brooks is having a solid afternoon in the paint, converting three field goal attempts for six early points.  The Lions are still shooting just 38 percent from the field.  The game has the feel that the Lions could stretch the margin if they begin to knock down a few more shots.  Northwestern is 0-of-5 from 3-point range. 

 

0:00: Penn State 24, Northwestern 15

The Nittany Lions missed a golden opportunity to bust the ballgame wide open in the closing minutes of the first half.  The Wildcats went nine minutes without a point, but ice cold shooting has kept the margin at nine heading into the break.  Neither team shot well in the first half.  Northwestern managed just 7-of-24 shooting, while the Lions were just 8-of-22.  It is nice to hold a nine-point lead at the break, but there was a great opportunity to build a significant cushion.  Battle leads all players with eight points at the break.  Northwestern's perimeter shooting was a big emphasis for the Lions heading into the game.  The Wildcats were 0-for-9 from beyond the arc in the first half.  Look for both teams to warm up in the second half.

Second Half:

15:33: Penn State 35, Northwestern 18

The Nittany Lions picked up the tempo in the early minutes of the second half to stretch the margin up to double digits.  The Lions scored 11 of the first 14 tallies out of the locker room and 23 of the last 28 stretching back to the first half.  Tim Frazier has been active this half with a crisp pass to Brooks for a finish in the paint and a transition lay-in.  Northwestern continues to struggle on the offensive end of the floor, but it is nice to see the lead in double digits.  The Nittany Lions have beaten the Wildcats to every loose ball, and they have done a great job on the glass, out-rebounding Northwestern 22-13 thus far.

 

11:52: Penn State 45, Northwestern 20

Battle is beginning to take over on the offensive end of the floor.  The Albany native drained a pair of 3-pointers to cap an 8-0 scoring run by himself.  The second bomb came from around 28 feet, and it put the Lions up 20.  From there, the floodgates have begun to open.  A pair of Billy Oliver foul shots has the Lions leading by 25.  Northwestern has shown very few signs of life in the past 20 minutes of action.  The Wildcats have a combined seven points in the past 20 minutes of game action.  The large cushion will give the Nittany Lions an opportunity to give Battle and the rest of the starters an opportunity to receive some much needed rest.  The Lions are well on their way to snapping the three-game skid this afternoon.

7:07: Penn State 48, Northwestern 29

The Nittany Lion defense has been the story this afternoon in the Bryce Jordan Center.  Granted, the Wildcats have been ice cold from the floor (30 percent) and beyond the arc (6 percent), but the Lions needed a strong defensive outing and they have gotten one today.  Penn State has also rebounded the ball much better this afternoon.

0:00: Penn State 65, Northwestern 41

Penn State came into Sunday in dire need of a confidence boost.  After a long road trip and a loss at Illinois, a tough loss to Michigan at home and Thursday night's setback at Michigan State, the Lions played like a team that needed a victory on the defensive end of the floor.  Battle led four players in double digits with 19 points.  Brooks added 14, while Frazier scored 12 points and dished out seven assists.  Sunday marked the second time this season that Penn State had four in double figures.  The key stretch of the ballgame came at the first eight minutes of the second half.  The Lions registered a 21-5 run out of the locker room to put the game on ice.

 

Final Thoughts:

The Nittany Lions looked a like a team that needed a victory to get back on track in the first eight minutes of the second half.  Penn State dictated the tempo and stretched a nine-point cushion at the break into a 25-point lead.  The Lions beat Northwestern to every loose ball.  They won the rebounding edge (33-21), as well.  Northwestern played a very poor offensive ballgame, but you have to give Penn State's effort on the defensive end of the floor credit.  Any time you hold a team under 50 points, it is a good indicator of a solid defensive afternoon.  Battle's historic day will highlight the comfortable victory over the Wildcats.  He finished with 19 points on a 7-of-9 shooting performance on a day in which he eclipsed the 2,000-point plateau.  Next up is a Thursday night showdown with Minnesota in the Bryce Jordan Center.  Sunday's victory was a good confidence boost leading up to another critical ballgame on Thursday.