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Lions lose heartbreaker to OSU

UNIVERSITY PARK — Freshman Tony Carr, who has become the leader the Nittany Lions look to in their season’s most tense moments, pulled up from the scorer’s table and nailed a deep 3-pointer to give Penn State a one-point lead with 9 seconds left Tuesday night against Ohio State.

“It means a lot to me for them to trust me to make those end-game decisions,” Carr, who finished with a game-high 21 points, said.

But those 9 seconds were all Ohio State needed to ruin the Lions’ home finale and give PSU its fourth consecutive loss, 71-70, at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Jae’Sean Tate drove into the lane and scored off the glass to give the Buckeyes the win.

“Tonight, with a skeleton crew, we played well,” coach Patrick Chambers said. “When you invest in something the way we have, it hurts.”

That crew was missing junior co-captain Payton Banks, who was sick.

The Lions’ offense was sluggish in the opening minutes, missing three of its first four shots and a pair of free throws. A deep 3 by Shep Garner followed by a dunk by Lamar Stevens was the first glimpse of offense.

The Buckeyes had little trouble on the offensive end at the start, converting on 60 percent of their shots and allowing the visitors to take a 24-17 lead at the midpoint of the first quarter.

Marc Loving and JaQuan Lyle combined to make nine of their 12 shots in the first half to account for the bulk of the Buckeyes’ production. Lyle finished the night with a team-high 17 points.

Garner, who was a stale 11-for-39 from the field during the Lions’ three-game losing streak, kept PSU competitive during the opening half. The junior led the Lions’ first-half effort with 11 points and finished with 20.

“He looked like a different kid tonight,” Chambers said. “He shot with confidence.”

Despite Garner finding his groove, the Buckeyes were able to maintain a buffer heading into halftime, 40-36.

The Lions were 2-11 overall when trailing at the half heading into Tuesday night, with their last halftime comeback dating back to their matchup against Minnesota at the midpoint of Big Ten play.

However, the Lions were intent on overcoming that haunting record. Garner kicked off the second half with a 3-pointer, which was followed by a few jumpers from Stevens, who finished with 16 points.

The spark in the Lions’ offense, which was simultaneous with a two-minute scoring drought from the Buckeyes, gave the home team a seven-point lead.

The Lions continued to operate in peak condition through the first seven minutes of the second half. The young team was 60 percent from the field and from beyond the arc.

But the teams traded momentum. The Lions went on a long stretch without a point from the field as the Buckeyes cut at the lead.

The seven-minute mark was the turning point that the Lions were hoping they could stave off.

Freshman Andre Wesson nailed a deep 3-pointer to give the Buckeyes a 63-60 lead. On the other side of the court, 6-9 freshman Mike Watkins, who had a game-high seven rebounds at the point, was holding his knee in intense pain.

Following Carr’s 3-pointer with 9 seconds left, Tate was open in the Lions’ paint and put up a driving layup to seal a victory.

“He made the right read,” said Ohio State coach Thad Matta, who improved to a 22-2 record over the Lions during 13 years of coaching the Buckeyes. “That was what we wanted to do.”

OHIO ST. (17-13): Loving 4-12 4-6 14, Tate 6-8 0-2 12, Thompson 3-5 5-7 11, Jackson 1-3 0-0 2, Williams 1-5 0-0 3, Wesson 2-3 1-2 7, Potter 1-5 3-4 5, Lyle 7-10 1-1 17. Totals 25-51 14-22 71.

PENN ST. (14-16): Watkins 1-1 3-6 5, Stevens 5-11 4-6 16, Garner 7-18 1-1 20, Reaves 1-3 0-0 3, Carr 8-16 3-4 21, Moore 0-0 0-0 0, Zemgulis 0-2 0-0 0, Washington 1-4 2-2 5. Totals 23-55 13-19 70.

Halftime–Ohio St. 40-36. 3-Point Goals–Ohio St. 7-20 (Lyle 2-2, Wesson 2-3, Loving 2-7, Williams 1-4, Jackson 0-1, Potter 0-3), Penn St. 11-31 (Garner 5-14, Stevens 2-2, Carr 2-6, Reaves 1-3, Washington 1-4, Zemgulis 0-2). Fouled Out–Reaves. Rebounds–Ohio St. 35 (Tate 9), Penn St. 26 (Watkins 7). Assists–Ohio St. 9 (Lyle 4), Penn St. 13 (Carr 4). Total Fouls–Ohio St. 15, Penn St. 18. Technicals–Potter. A–7,343 (15,261).

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