Alijah Arenas scored seven key points down the stretch, including the game-winning layup with 0.7 seconds left, to send Penn State to its second straight loss.
It was a cold start for Penn State from the
outside, but threes from Ivan Juric and Justin Houser gave the Lions a 16-14 lead. The first half was mostly played tightly, with neither team holding a lead larger than six.
After a Penn State timeout with USC holding a four-point edge, the Lions closed the half on a 12-4 run capped by back to back layups from Josh Reed to enter halftime with a 40-36 lead.
Penn State quickly swelled the lead to 12 early in the second half by forcing turnovers. Freddie Dilione and Dominick Stewart each scored four on the run to help the Lions open up the game.
The Trojans pushed back and cut the deficit to just two at the under-12 timeout. Penn State’s offense struggled to maintain the lead with turnovers and sloppy play. Kam Woods gave USC the lead back with a free throw at 56-55 midway through the half.
A layup by Josh Reed gave Penn State a 65-64 lead with four minutes left, but Alijah Arenas immediately answered with a three to put the Trojans up by two. Arenas made a second three that bounced in the net to put USC up 72-68 with just over a minute left.
Josh Reed made a three to cut the lead to one, and Freddie Dilione tied the game on a layup with 12 seconds left. Unfortunately, the defense could not get a stop to force OT, and Arenas’ layup provided the winning points for USC and a 77-75 road win for the Trojans.
Player of the Game
Freddie Dilione- 23 points, 10-18 FG, 4 rebounds, 4 assits
Dilione shot well from the floor and scored the tying basket to give PSU a fighting chance to force overtime.
Random Observations
- Free Throws- Penn State missed six free throws in the second half. Any points there could have put the Lions in a position to win late in the game.
- Penn State Bakery- The Nittany Lions committed 17 turnovers, which dulled all of the team’s momentum after starting the second half strong.
- Pain- This is certainly not the first close loss this team has had against quality Big Ten teams. So many missed opportunities this season.
What’s Next
Penn State will hit the road to take on Washington on Wednesday. Tipoff is at 10:30pm on Big Ten Network.
