Rutgers Basketball's season is bordering on critical condition once again.
The Scarlet Knights (10-9, 3-5) rallied late from down ten points with four minutes to play, but ultimately the Nittany Lions (13-6, 3-5) held on late with two stops in the final minutes.
Ace Bailey put on another spectacular offensive performance, finishing with 30 points on 13-for-15 shooting, carrying the load and hitting countless tough shots on almost perfect efficiency. He fouled out of the contest late after being whistled for a dead-ball technical, appearing to push Ace Baldwin Jr. after a dunk.
Dylan Harper, limited after an ankle injury in the first half, finished with 7 points on 3-for-10 shooting, clearly not himself in the second half.
Lathan Sommerville had another strong game in the starting lineup, fouling out but shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line. He finished as Rutgers' only other double-digit scorer with 10 points and six rebounds.
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Rutgers was carried by its freshmen yet again, but that reliance was tested towards the end of the first half when Dylan Harper went down holding his ankle after drawing a foul. He walked off the floor under his own power after committing a foul on the ensuing defensive possession and missed the next two minutes of play before returning for the final 90 seconds of the first half.
That first half was a mixed-bag performance from the Scarlet Knights, trailing 37-35 despite shooting over 50% from the floor and 5-for-11 from the three-point line. The Nittany Lions were able to stay in the game forcing turnovers and hitting threes of their own, despite ranking 298th nationally in three-point rate.
Penn State hit seven of its 12 attempts from beyond the arc and forced 12 turnovers, including four in the final two and a half minutes. The Nittany Lions outscored Rutgers 32-24 after the Scarlet Knights took a quick 11-5 lead out of the gate.
With a hobbled Harper, Rutgers stuck around and kept the game within reach for much of the early second half. Bailey continued to hit tough shots to keep the Scarlet Knights' offense flowing with the three-point well drying up.
The tides turned in favor of the Nittany Lions, however, with an 11-0 run to take a multi-possession lead with six minutes to play. They continued to capitalize on turnovers and turned around the rebounding performance to set up fast break opportunities.
Though the Scarlet Knights rallied and brought the deficit to within three points in the final minute, Penn State hit crucial free throws and iced the game at the line, as Rutgers could not get one last push.
Ace Baldwin Jr. led the way for the Nittany Lions with 22 points and eight assists. He shot 6-for-16 but opened up countless passing lanes as he continues to recover from a back injury, playing all 40 minutes. Three of Penn State's other four starters scored in double-figures.
RHOOPS PLAY OF THE GAME
Ace Bailey puts Yanic Konan Niederhauser on a poster with the slam.
UP NEXT?
The Scarlet Knights will be off until the weekend, when they travel to Madison Square Garden to take on No. 8 Michigan State in what likely will be considered an NCAA home game in New York City.
The game will tip off at 1:30pm EST and will be broadcast nationally on CBS.
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