Penn State spoiled Northwestern’s attempt at heroics with a late-game spectacle of its own.
Even though Jitim Young nailed a clutch three-pointer to tie the game at 61 with 20 seconds remaining in overtime, the Nittany Lions had just enough time to hammer out a 63-61 win.
In the closing seconds, the Wildcats’ defenders forced Penn State guard Ben Luber into an errant jumper, but Nittany Lions forward Ndu Egekeze tipped it in with 1.2 seconds left, propelling his team to victory at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa.
“They played us like a lot of teams have,” NU coach Bill Carmody said. “We took 31 three-point shots … Our center really can’t score and then you’re forced to throw to guys who are wide open and not knocking them down, so it makes it difficult.”
In the end it wasn’t the Cats’ offense that lost the game. Penn State held a significant advantage by controlling the boards — the deciding factor in a game in which neither team converted from the charity stripe.
Penn State made 6-of-15 shots from the free throw line while NU finished a dismal 6 for 14. In addition to the Cats’ free throw woes, they continued to struggle on the glass, as Penn State dominated 40-25.
The Nittany Lions snapped a three-game losing skid and sent the Cats tumbling to their third consecutive loss. The contest also marked the fifth time in the teams’ last 15 meetings that an overtime period decided the game.
NU had a chance to make a last-second desperation shot, but Penn State intercepted walk-on Michael Jenkins’ inbounds pass.
During the most crucial stretch of the game, two of the Cats’ big men — forwards Vedran Vukusic and Davor Duvancic — had to watch from the bench. Vukusic fouled out with 7:48 remaining in the second half and Duvancic picked up his fifth with 29 seconds left in the extra session.
“Losing Vedran, that really hurt us,” Carmody said. “That was critical.”
NU players were not available for comment after the game.
Guard T.J. Parker was crucial in keeping the the Cats in the game. Down by three with less than a minute in regulation, Parker connected on a game-tying long-range shot to send it into overtime.
Fellow guard Mohamed Hachad saw limited action, as Carmody opted to stick with Evan Seacat, who contributed 13 points off the bench. Seacat ignited NU early in the game, scoring eight straight points with a reverse layup and two three-pointers. But he cooled off in the second half, making just 1-of-7 shots.
The sophomore had been in a shooting funk and saw just three minutes of action in the Cats’ loss to Michigan State last Wednesday, but he clocked 32 minutes against the Nittany Lions.
Young led the Cats with 16 points and seven rebounds and Parker finished with 13 points.
The Cats attempted to rattle the Nittany Lions by switching between their zone defense and man-to-man, but it didn’t slow Marlon Smith. The Penn State guard scorched NU with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, matching his career high. Carmody said the Cats’ poor defense against Smith was troublesome because he had been highlighted in the scouting report as an offensive threat.
NU, however, contained Penn State’s biggest scoring presence — Jan Jagla, who was held to only 12 points in the game.
Still, that wasn’t enough for a struggling team that had three of its starters on the bench in the game’s deciding moments.
