STATE COLLEGE — Tariq Francis had 22 points and seven assists, and Rutgers led the entire game in an 85-72 victory over Penn State on Wednesday, the Scarlet Knights’ first road win of the season.
Francis scored 15 points to help the Scarlet Knights take a 39-20 halftime lead, its largest on the road in conference play since coach Steve Pikiell took over in 2016. Penn State did not make its first field goal until nearly seven minutes into the game and finished with 10 first-half turnovers that Rutgers (11-15, 4-11 Big Ten) converted into 19 points. The Nittany Lions had their lowest-scoring first half of the season.
Josh Reed led Penn State with 22 points, and Kayden Mingo had 16 points and six assists. The Nittany Lions shot 55% from the field, but made 3 of 17 (18%) from beyond the arc.
Penn State visits No. 9 Nebraska on Saturday.
The Scarlet Knights pushed the advantage to 20 points early in the second half, but Penn State (11-16, 2-14) gradually chipped away. A 12-4 stretch helped the Nittany Lions cut the deficit to 67-56, and Reed’s 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 54 seconds remaining pulled them within eight.
Francis responded with a 25-foot 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper on Rutgers’ next two possessions to halt the rally and restore a double-digit cushion.
Dylan Grant added 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting for Rutgers, and Harun Zrno scored 13 with three 3-pointers. Lino Mark provided 12 points off the bench as Rutgers shot 57% from the field and went 20 of 23 at the free-throw line.
