Penn State stuns Illinois with late game, double-digit comeback

Penn State had missed too many opportunities in its Return to Rec game against Illinois on Wednesday night. Fighting to keep the Illini from stretching a second half lead to a point of no return, the Nittany Lions had chances.

An open 3-pointer in the corner with momentum, missed. A steal without a score on the other end. Or a made bucket followed by a defensive lapse.

The Nittany Lions won anyway.

Storming back from a deficit that ballooned to 14 points in the second half, and a 10-point deficit with 2:30 remaining, Penn State beat Illinois with a frenetic comeback at Rec Hall in front of 6,150 fans. And they did it leaning on their past experiences this season, frequently unable to dig out of deep holes.

“We’ve had a lot of experience being down 12, 14. Experience is your greatest teacher,” Rhoades said. “I think because we’re shooting the ball better, it’s not as crazy. I thought we were getting good shots. It wasn’t out of touch. We’ve been there before, so come on guys, stick together, figure it out. When you’re down and you can cut into the lead without the clock moving, that helped us in the second half.”

Penn State makes shots

Just days after acknowledging Penn State’s shooting woes in a three-game losing streak entering Wednesday night’s contest, the Nittany Lions delivered. From the floor, they connected on 55 percent of their shots and, of particular importance late, they knocked down 8 of 18 3-pointers.

On the other end of the sideline, Rhoades’ sentiment was mutual from the Illini head coach.

“Give Penn State all the credit in the world. They never quit. They never let down,” said Illinois coach Brad Underwood. “Tremendous environment. I wish we were back in the other place. Congratulations to their administration for trying something new. That was a great environment for college basketball.

“Obviously we feel like we lost the game. We did everything wrong in the last two and a half minutes and they made shots. All the credit goes to Mike and his kids. They got the win.”

Penn State turns up defensive pressure

Struggling to stop Illinois all night, allowing 48 points in the first half, the Nittany Lions’ demeanor changed down the stretch. Managing to seesaw between a five and 10 point deficit, the pressure with the press got to the Illini.

“We didn’t do anything right. We did everything we could possibly do to lose the game,” said Underwood. “We missed two layups. Luke missed a wide open three in the corner. It was everything.”

Kept afloat by Nick Kern through much of the second half, going on single-handed stretch of 13-straight points for the Nittany Lions, the late-game heroics were reserved for his teammates. Propelled by a Jameel Brown floater and D’Marco Dunn layup to cut into the Illini 11-point advantage, Zach Hicks stepped in to do the heavy lifting. Notching a 5-0 run on his own, offset by a pair of Marcus Domask free throws in an 89-82 game, Hicks’ late points were just an appetizer.

Brown pulled up for a 3-pointer on the wing with 35 seconds to play. Forcing a turnover on Illinois’ ensuing possession, Puff Johnson took advantage to lay it in to put the Nittany Lions within a bucket. Going again into the press, Illinois advanced the ball but came up empty with Coleman Hawkins missing both free throws on the other end.

Leaving the Nittany Lions a last look at the basket, Ace Baldwin’s dish to Hicks deep on the wing opened a 3-point opportunity that didn’t rattle home. But, fouled by Hawkins on the attempt, the transfer stepped to the free throw line, made all three, and sent Penn State to the win. It amounted to an 8-0 run for the Nittany Lions in the game’s final 35 seconds.

Mike Rhoades takes pride in win

Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades made plain his pride in the win. Surrounded by his family in the postgame press conference, he acknowledged the effort and connectivity needed from his team to fight back to earn the win.

“I’ve been doing this for a while. I’m just a super proud coach tonight,” said Rhoades. “I didn’t think at all during the game we were complaining. We didn’t put our chins down. I thought we were great teammates today.

“We just kept fighting. I always say the press can do some pretty crazy things during a game, and you saw that today. We found a way to win a game against an awesome coach and awesome program in Big Ten play.”

That it happened without Kanye Clary, the program’s leading scorer who was dismissed earlier this week, made the win that much more of an accomplishment. But, according to Underwood, the Nittany Lions were a better, more connected team without the guard on the floor.

“I thought they were better without him. The ball moves. I’m not commenting on him. But their role definement is great,” said Underwood. “Adding Dunn and putting him in a place where he gets shots, their roles were very defined. I’m not in their locker room, but that’s a very connected basketball team.”

Penn State returns to action when it hosts Indiana at the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday (noon, BTN).