Penn State Basketball stuns Northwestern: What powered 74-70 upset

Jan 5, 2022; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Pete Nance (22) defends Penn State Nittany Lions forward John Harrar (21) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2022; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Pete Nance (22) defends Penn State Nittany Lions forward John Harrar (21) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /
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Penn State Basketball knocked off another conference foe, upsetting Northwestern on Wednesday night in Evanston, led by some standout performances

Penn State Basketball pulled off a huge upset last night, defeating Northwestern 74-70 in Evanston, Illinois.

While you were likely asleep, Penn State Basketball tipped off vs the Wildcats of Northwestern.   BPI only gave the Nittany Lions a 14% chance of winning, on the road.

Northwestern opened a 10 point lead in the second half, seemingly the end for the gritty Lions but a 26-13 run to end the game left the Wildcat faithful (ok, there was like 6 people at Welsh-Ryan Arena) stunned as Penn State Basketball earned their first conference road win in the Shrewsberry era.

How did Penn State Basketball take down a second consecutive B1G foe?

Penn State Basketball dominates offensive glass

The game started with John Harrar getting looks under the bucket, scoring Penn State Basketball’s first seven points.

As the game continued, however, the Nittany Lions fell back into their traditional dribble it around for 28 seconds and then iso-ball a shot before the shot clock expires.  The Nittany Lions gobbled up 20 offensive rebounds.

These crucial second-chance points made a huge difference and allowed the Lions hindered offense extra opportunities to score.

While they were still outshot by the opponent as they have all year (55 shots to Northwestern’s 61), working the offensive glass is a great ‘eraser’ for any poor offensive sets and the Nittany Lions took full advantage.