Penn State Basketball: Nittany Lions dispatch Maryland in pivotal test
Penn State basketball knew it had a huge opportunity on Wednesday night, and it didn’t disappoint
The Nittany Lions took advantage of an opportunity to strengthen their tournament resume with a 74-70 victory over Maryland at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State was successfully able to avenge its 75-69 loss to Maryland on Jan. 2 behind 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting from sophomore forward Lamar Stevens, and 16 points and six assists from his longtime teammate Tony Carr.
Both teams entered the meeting with identical overall records of 16-9. With the victory, Penn State improved to 17-9 and boosted its Big Ten conference record to 7-6. This is the deepest Penn State has been above .500 in conference play since the 2008-09 season.
Josh Reaves tallied 14 points and nine rebounds while Mike Watkins added 11 points of his own for the Nittany Lions, who equaled their previous best mark for conference victories under coach Patrick Chambers.
The teams traded blows for most of the first half before Penn State closed the half on a 9-2 run, capped off by a Watkins dunk on a beautiful feed from Carr to give the Nittany Lions a 41-35 lead at the break.
Penn State was able to keep the Terrapins at bay for most of the second half, and did a good job limiting Maryland’s three-point opportunities and forcing the visitors to take contested shots late in the shot clock.
On offense, the ball movement wasn’t as smooth and the shooting wasn’t as precise as the first 20 minutes, but the Nittany Lions got key buckets from Stevens and Carr when it mattered the most and hit their free throws late to seal the victory.
The “X-Factor” for Penn State all season has been the presence of Reaves.
More from Victory Bell Rings
- How Penn State Fans Can Win $450 GUARANTEED Bonus at BetMGM + Caesars This Week!
- Penn State football: Week 3 odds for Nittany Lions national title, Drew Allar Heisman
- Penn State football: Halftime takeaways include perfect offense, defense almost perfect but should fans be concerned?
- FanDuel PA Promo: Bet $5 on Penn State, Win Guaranteed $200 Bonus
- Penn State football recruiting: Several key commits dominate for their high schools over the weekend
The Nittany Lions are now 4-1 since his return from an academic-related suspension and there’s no question that Penn State looks like a completely different team with one of the best defenders in the Big Ten in its lineup.
Despite the fact that Maryland had five players scoring in double figures, the Nittany Lions were able to keep the guard duo of Anthony Cowan Jr. and Kevin Huerter in check, holding the pair to a combined 28 points and forcing six of the Terrapins 14 turnovers.
Penn State will travel to Champaign, Illinois to take on the Fighting Illini on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions are expected to win that game, before coming home for two big tests next week against Ohio State and Michigan.
If Penn State is able to win two of the next three games, its tournament resume will look a whole lot better come Selection Sunday.