Penn State Basketball Beats Rutgers, Snaps 4-Game Losing Streak

Ace Baldwin Jr. leads the Nittany Lions to a key Big Ten win over the Scarlet Knights with 22 points and 8 assists.

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Ace Baldwin Jr. dribbles the ball around the outside of Rutgers Scarlet Knights forward Dylan Grant during the first half at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State's Ace Baldwin Jr. produced 22 points and eight assists, Yanic Konan Niederhauser added 18 points and the Nittany Lions ended a four-game Big Ten losing streak with an 80-72 win over Rutgers on Monday. Penn State basketball improved to 10-1 this season at the Bryce Jordan Center with the win and got back on track in pursuit of an NCAA Tournament berth.

The Nittany Lions (13-6, 3-5 Big Ten) played without starter Puff Johnson, who sustained a hand injury in last week's loss to Michigan State. Baldwin, playing through a recent back issue, played all 40 minutes, going 6-for-16 from the field and 3-for-7 from 3-point range. Baldwin also had five steals and was 7-for-9 from the foul line, making four in the final 27 seconds to secure the victory.

"We had a tough two weeks and when you go through that, the way you get out of it is together," Penn State coach Mike Rhoades told reporters in State College. "And I thought our guys, especially in the second half, stuck together, had great fight, and Ace and Nick [Kern] kept everybody organized on both ends."

Penn State took a 10-point lead on a Niederhauser layup with 4:18 remaining, but Rutgers chipped away at that, pulling within two points with 1:52 left. Kern curbed the rally with a fastbreak layup following a Niederhauser free throw, and the Nittany Lions largely finished the game at the foul line.

Rutgers held a significant rebounding advantage (34-22) and scored more points in the paint (36-28), but Penn State nearly doubled Rutgers in free throws attempted (27-14) and had four players score in double figures. Kern, who started in place of Johnson, had 16 points and six rebounds, while Freddie Dilione V added 12 points on a perfect night from 3-point range (4-for-4).

Rutgers' Ace Bailey turned in another spectacular game against the Nittany Lions, scoring 30 points, the most by a Big Ten opponent against Penn State this season. Bailey, who had 24 points and 12 rebounds against Penn State in December, went 13-for-15 from the field, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Bailey also had seven rebounds but did not shoot a free throw. Meanwhile, Penn State held Dylan Harper to seven points. Harper scored 24 against the Nittany Lions in December.

"We just guarded the ball better today," Rhoades said. "I thought we defended actions better and I thought our execution on the defensive end on the whole was better."

Noteworthy

• The win was Penn State's 300th at the Bryce Jordan Center.

• Penn State improved to 30-11 all-time against Rutgers at home.

• Baldwin had his fifth 20-point game of the season.

• The Nittany Lions shot a season-high 47.6 percent from 3-point range. They made 6 of their first 8 shots from 3-point range.

Up Next

Penn State returns to the road for a pair of Big Ten games. The stretch begins Friday at Iowa. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.

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