No. 9 Penn State falls to Indiana for 2nd straight loss

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — In a game full of wild swings, Indiana boxed out No. 9 Penn State.

The Hoosiers let a 19-point first-half lead disappear, fell behind by six and then rallied for a 68-60 victory Sunday.

It was the second straight loss for the Nittany Lions (20-7, 10-6 Big Ten).

Lamar Stevens, who was plagued with foul trouble all game, led Penn State with 29 points on 11-of-27 shooting.

“Lamar was great, but he needs help,” Nittany Lions coach Patrick Chambers said. “When we are successful, we are sharing the basketball. We were relying on one guy.”

Al Durham scored 14 points, and Trayce Jackson-Davis had 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Hoosiers (18-9, 8-8).

“We play the game in 10 four-minute battles or rounds like a fight,” said Indiana coach Archie Miller, a Blackhawk graduate. “There are going to be swings, and you have to fight through it and find way to weather it.”

The Nittany Lions opened the second half with 12 unanswered points to slice Indiana’s 13-point halftime lead to 37-36. The Hoosiers’ cold streak continued as Penn State took a 48-42 lead with 12:17 left.

“We came out at halftime and punched back,” Chambers said. “That’s a tough environment and we competed until the end.”

Devonte Green contributed 10 points for the Hoosiers, who made their final four free throws to help seal the win.

“At the end of the game, we made almost every single hard hustle play,” Miller said. “We were able to make some plays when it was tough. We found a way to finish. For the most part, we played smart. We fought and finished the last two games well defensively.”

Penn State has been without Myreon Jones, who is averaging 14.1 points but has missed the last five games with an undisclosed illness.

“You have give them a little bit of a pass when you have a guy that good that is not playing,” Miller said. “Hopefully, he comes back because they are having a great year. They always grind you out and play hard.”