Northwestern’s latest game was over shortly after it started.

The Wildcats struggled to compete with No. 13 Penn State early in the game, and an effort to come back late was ultimately unsuccessful as NU fell 77-61 to the Nittany Lions.

NU held a lead for a few minutes, but in the middle of the first half, Penn State’s offense kicked into another gear that the Cats couldn’t compete with. The fast-paced Nittany Lions’ offense sunk the Cats in the first half with a 19-4 run that put Penn State up 42-28 at the break.

NU’s offense was better in the second half, shortening the deficit to seven late in the second half. The Cats made 12 of their first 20 field goals in the second half, a far cry from their 13-for-31 performance in the first half. But after cutting down the deficit late, Penn State pulled away in the final minutes for a 16-point win.

1. Penn State made it rain from the behind the arc.

The Nittany Lions shot 7-for-21 from three in the first half, led by Jamari Wheeler and Myles Dread. Last year, Dread made the second-most three pointers by a freshman in school history, and he attempted 144 shots from behind the arc before Saturday’s game. Against the Cats, Dread lived up to his reputation as a shooter.

The Cats, by contrast, only made one shot from three-point range in the first half out of nine shots, but they did make multiple jump shots from just inside the arc.

2. NU had a bad day at the free throw line.

The Cats only made one of their five free throw attempts in the first half, though they’ve shot 74.8 percent from the line this season. Even graduate guard Pat Spencer and freshman forward Robbie Beran, two of the team’s most consistent free throw shooters at 79%, missed their shots from the line.

NU shot 4-for-4 from the line in the second half, in tune with their stronger performance.

3. Pete Nance returns to form in a breakthrough performance.

Coach Chris Collins took sophomore forward Pete Nance out of the starting lineup against Rutgers on Feb. 9, and he’s failed to score more than three points since his six-point performance against Ohio State on Jan. 26. Nance was the one of the only players for NU who could score, with a team-leading 12 points on 77% percent shooting and 6 rebounds.

Nance desperately needed to break out of his shooting slump and play more aggressively, and he scored his most points since Michigan State on Dec. 18.

But it wasn’t enough to lead the Cats to a win, and NU lost its 13 conference game this season.