Penn State men’s basketball can’t hold off Northwestern, fall 76-72.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. –– Penn State men’s basketball returned to the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time in 2024 but couldn’t get the job done as they fell to Northwestern 76-72.

Penn State struggled to contain the Northwestern offense all game long and the Wildcats took advantage of their momentum to claim and hold the lead.

“A tale of two halves,” Rhoades said. “I loved how some of our guys played, but not good enough to win a Big Ten game. It’s disappointing.”

Penn State got out to a hot start in the first half, shooting 56% from the field but their lack of three-point shooting allowed Northwestern to hang around and remain within striking distance, heading into the locker room down 40-32.

The Nittany Lions went just 1-for-10 from beyond the arc in the first half while the Wildcats were able to connect on five of their nine three-point attempts.

Kanye Clary was feeling himself early for the blue and white as he finished multiple acrobatic layups en route to a 14-point first-half performance.

His backcourt partner Ace Baldwin Jr. caused havoc defensively for Northwestern all night and hounded the Wildcats on his way to a single-game program-tying eight steals.

Early in the second half, Penn State extended their lead to double digits as the shots continued to fall for Clary and the momentum fully favored Penn State.

“In the first half, even though we were missing threes, we had rhythm and flow,” Rhoades said.

Northwestern did not go down easily as their star point guard and 2022-23 All-Big Ten selection Boo Buie willed them back into the game.

The Wildcats began to build momentum and finally took the lead for the first time in the game as Nick Martinelli hit a jumper with 11:25 remaining in the contest.

“We allowed Northwestern to dictate the pace,” Clary said. “We became a very half-court reliant team and that shows.”

Clary finished with a game-high 25 points, four rebounds and two assists while shooting 7-for-13 from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

Using the momentum from the crowd as Rhoades continued to encourage the crowd’s support, Penn State was as close as within two with under a minute to play, but couldn’t pull it off.

Northwestern shot 61% from the field and 58% from beyond the arc in the game and appeared not to be able to miss as they went on a 15-0 run in the second half to come out on top.

Down the stretch, the Wildcats took advantage of the free throw line and knocked down 15 of their 21 attempts in the game.

Northwestern forward Brooks Barnhizer scored 23 points to lead the Wildcats and came up with multiple clutch buckets down the stretch.

The Penn State faithful were not happy with the officiating crew and a last-second attempt by Nick Kern Jr. to hit the front of the rim and get the rebound on a free throw was waived off due to a lane violation call.

“I just don’t get it,” Rhoades said. “Obvious is obvious. It wasn’t really a violation if you watch the video.”

Frustration over the officiating and poor shooting from three-point range plagued the Penn State offense as they could not get over the hump despite winning the rebound battle and forcing 18 turnovers.

The Nittany Lions shot 3-for-17 from beyond the three-point line and continue to be in a shooting slump as a team.

“There’s no consolation prizes,” Rhoades said. “There’s times we’re close, but when you play good teams, you can beat yourself.”

Penn State drops to 8-8 on the year and 2-3 in Big Ten play. The road doesn’t get easier as they travel to West Lafayette to battle the No. 1 ranked Purdue Boilermakers this Saturday.

Thomas English is a third-year broadcast journalism major. To contact him, email tfe5082@psu.edu.