Big Ten Tournament: Penn State Stifled by Michigan State in Second-Round Loss

Penn State was completely shut down by Michigan State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

It was clear from the onset that the Michigan State defense was going to make things very difficult on Penn State during the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Nittany Lions were completely dominated and fell 78-51 during Thursday’s second-round matchup.

Penn State scored just five points in the first seven minutes of the game and managed just 27 in the first half. The Nittany Lions went through another scoring drought at the end of the game, failing to score a point in the final two minutes of the contest.

Held to just 29 percent from the floor for the game, it was not the performance that head coach Patrick Chambers was looking for from his young squad. The Nittany Lions were also dominated on the boards by a margin of 44-29.

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The lone bright spot for the Nittany Lions was the performance of freshmen Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens. Both players provided 16 points. No other player managed more than six.

Michigan State, on the other hand, shot nearly 50 percent from the field and got double-digit performances from three of the five starters. The freshman duo of Miles Bridges and Nick Ward combined for 30 total points, with each player recording 15. Both youngsters also hauled in a team-high nine rebounds.

With the win, Michigan State advances to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

For Penn State, the loss brings a disappointing season to an end. Filled with young potential, the Nittany Lions struggled, particularly in the Big Ten. They won just seven conference games and lost six of their last seven games.

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