Penn State Basketball Strains to Find Silver Linings in Losing Streak

The losses continue to mount for the Penn State men's basketball team, which still has yet to win in January — or in the Big Ten. But Nittany Lions coach Mike Rhoades said his frustration isn't mounting with the losses.

Penn State on Monday lost its seventh consecutive game and ninth straight in the Big Ten, falling to Ohio State 84-78. It was a familiar refrain for the Nittany Lions, who fell behind by 18 points at halftime, staged a rally and couldn't close out a win.

Penn State (9-11, 0-9 Big Ten) is the only team Big Ten team without a conference win. It has lost close games to ranked teams and blowouts to mid-level teams. Monday's loss followed familiar patterns.

Penn State gave up at least 50 points in the first half for the third straight game. Then it cut an 18-point deficit to one midway through the second half. But another rally fell short, leaving the Nittany Lions to continue pushing their rock up the hill without anything to show for the effort.

"When teams get in this positon, there could be a lot of problems in house. We don't [have any]," Rhoades told reporters at the Schottenstein Center after the game. "We're just really young and we're learning by getting thrown into the fire. We haven't had any results. ... Hopefully we can have a second half like this for 38 minutes and 40 minutes and pull some [games] out. That's got to be our objective."

Ohio State Buckeyes forward Amare Bynum shoots past Penn State Nittany Lions guard Dominick Stewart. — Ohio State Buckeyes forward Amare Bynum (1) shoots past Penn State Nittany Lions guard Dominick Stewart (7) during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game at the Schottenstein Center. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rhoades has consistently made Penn State's attitude and approach his positives of this season, and the coach found another grace note during this road trip. Confined to their hotel Sunday because of the winter storm, the Nittany Lions conducted a 75-minute practice in an events room without a basket.

"They were locked in," Rhoades said. "As a coach, I really appreciate it."

And yet, Penn State can't lock in during the first half. Ohio State certainly took it to the Nittany Lions, shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 54.5 percent (6-for-11) from 3-point range. The Buckeyes' John Mobley Jr. scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the first half.

But the Nittany Lions contributed to their deficit by committing 10 turnovers, more than their per-game average entering the game, and going 4-for-13 from 3-point range in the first half. As Rhoades said, "the first half has been our Achilles' heel for the month of January."

But Penn State defended better in the second half, outrebounded Ohio State 20-8 and went on a 22-6 run to cut its deficit to one. Then the well ran dry as Mobley scored five straight points and made two key free throws with 17 seconds left to secure the victory.

"I loved our approach in the second half," Rhoades said. "We applied the information, and I thought our guys really battled in the second half. That's the basketball we need to play moving forward."

Eli Rice scored a career-high 20 points for the Nittany Lions, making five 3-pointers in the process. Ivan Juric had his first career double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

"We brought in Ivan to be Yanic's [Konan Niederhauser] backup," Rhoades said of the Penn State first-round draft pick now playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. "We're asking him to do a lot as a freshman in the Big Ten and that's tough, but he's getting better and better."

Up next

Penn State returns to the road Thursday at Northwestern, which recently picked up its first Big Ten win.

What happens next for Penn State? Stay on top of all the Nittany Lions news by subscribing to the Penn State on SI Daily Digest. The newsletter is your free daily window into Penn State sports.

Up next

More Penn State Sports