Quick Report: Penn State 68, No. 22 Indiana 63

Marley Paul (@MarleyPaul22)
--

Pat Chambers said last week Penn State wants good basketball. His team displayed just that in its return to the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday as it defeated No. 22 Indiana 68-63 in an upset victory. The Hoosiers (19-5, 9-2 Big Ten) entered the game as a co-leader atop the Big Ten standings and the highest scoring team in the conference while the Nittany Lions (12-12, 3-7 Big Ten) were the the worst in points per game. Back at .500, Penn State finally has a signature win on a rebuilding 2015-2016 season.

At first…
Penn State pounced on Indiana from the opening possession, as Shep Garner picked off a pass from Troy Williams and converted in transition to strike first. Williams, however, answered with a 3-pointer of his own, before Brandon Taylor joined the party with a 3 of his own on the ensuing possession as Penn State went up 5-3 one minute into the game.

More solid Penn State defense would follow, as the Nittany Lions forced a stretch of four turnovers over three minutes in addition to a 6-0 run to take an early 11-5 lead with 15:22 remaining in the first half. For the Hoosiers, helping overcome the sloppy play was the long ball. They connected on 4 of their first 8 attempts form 3-point range to tie the game at 16 halfway through the first half, despite nine turnovers.

Both teams exchanged leads seven times in the first 20 minutes of action, but it was Indiana taking a narrow 34-33 advantage into the locker room led by Nick Zeisloft, who was 3 of 4 from 3-point range for a team-high nine points.

Turning point…
No team held a lead larger than six for the entire game. There were 14 lead changes, 13 ties. But down the stretch, Penn State hit timely buckets — three straight 3-point makes, two by Taylor then Payton Banks concluding the barrage — plus a crucial traveling violation by Thomas Bryant with 24 seconds left allowed the Nittany Lions to close this game out on the charity stripe.

Shining star…
Another game, another 40 minutes of Brandon Taylor shouldering the load offensively for Penn State. The 6-foot-6 forward continues to add buckets to his impressive senior campaign. He paced the Nittany Lions for 24 much-needed points.

Noteworthy number...
15.
Penn State’s defense has been unsteady all season, but from start to finish, the tenacity was there to disrupt the Indiana offense early and often to cause 15 giveaways. On the other side of the ball, the Nittany Lions maximized their possessions, only committing seven turnovers themselves.

Up next:
Penn State @ Nebraska, Feb. 13, 6 p.m.
Indiana vs. Iowa, Thursday 9 p.m.