Quick Report: Penn State 70, Rutgers 58

Marley Paul (@MarleyPaul22)
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For just the fourth time in the last three seasons, Penn State was able to string back-to-back wins in Big Ten play on Saturday, defeating a struggling Rutgers team 70-58 in New Jersey. With the win, the Nittany Lions (14-13, 5-9 Big Ten) are back above .500 since a Jan. 25 loss at Ohio State, the second of an eventual four-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Scarlett Knights (6-21, 0-14) remained the lone Big Ten team without a conference win.

At first...
Josh Reaves opened the scoring with a steal and breakaway layup — a sequence he’s no stranger to — and Penn State looked to put away the lowly Scarlett Knights early. A quick 12-4 lead was a good sign for coach Pat Chambers’ team after they connected on 5 of their first 6 shots from the floor by way of four different Nittany Lions.

They proceeded to miss their next five attempts form the floor, allowing Rutgers to come within four, however, the 3-point line continued to work for Penn State, as it connected on 4 of 8 to hold a 18-8 lead with 8:04 remaining in the half. The two teams then exchanged runs, Penn State pushing its lead to 23-8, before a 9-0 run by the home team cut it to a six-point game.

Rutgers, trailing by 15 points with seven minutes left in the half, closed out the period with a 14-5 run with Penn State holding a 28-22 lead after 20 minutes of play. Brandon Taylor led the Nittany Lions with a nine-point, nine-rebound opening half.

Turning Point...
Penn State couldn’t contain the momentum the Scarlett Knights were carrying coming out of the half as the score quickly became tied at 31. Five minutes into the second half, a pair of Johnathon Laurent free throws gave Rutgers’ its first lead of the game, 35-33. A 15-0 Penn State run, capped by one of Shep Garner’s five 3s, would follow and the visitors jumped back ahead, leading 50-37. Another 3 from Garner a few minutes later stretched it to 56-42 and secured enough distance for the road win.

Standout Stars...
Shep Garner (20 points, four assists, three steals) and Brandon Taylor (17 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks) have been steady in Penn State’s recent stretch of three wins in four games. But Josh Reaves had his best outing since his six-game absence earlier in conference play due to mono.

An intricate part of this program’s future upside, the freshman guard picked up two steals and six rebounds on Saturday, while having a poised and efficient game on the offense end, scoring 12 points on 4 of 8 and dished out four dimes.

Noteworthy Number(s)...
16: The backboards were friendly to the visitors on Saturday as Penn State finished with a plus-13 advantage on rebounds, including 16 offensive — 10 more than Rutgers. Neither team shot lights out — both finishing 39 percent from the floor — so the extra possessions were advantageous for the Nittany Lions, especially with a 10:9 turnover ratio between the two team.

Up next...
Penn State vs. Nebraska (Feb. 25, 7 PM)
Rutgers at Minnesota (Feb. 23, 7 PM)