IU men’s basketball used a second half run Sunday afternoon to defeat No. 9 Penn State 68-60. The win put the Hoosiers at 8-8 in Big Ten play and 18-9 overall for the season. It also gave IU its fifth top-25 win.
The game was the return of Penn State senior guard Curtis Jones, who transferred from IU in 2017. Each time Jones touched the ball, he was booed.
Penn State won its first matchup with IU earlier this season by 15 points, which was IU’s second loss of what would become a 4-game losing streak.
The Hoosiers started Sunday’s game shooting 7-9 from the field behind a 11-1 run. They led 24-8 at one point and eventually held a 19-point advantage. IU was hitting shots and limiting everyone outside of Penn State senior forward Lamar Stevens from scoring.
Stevens picked up his second foul with 10:40 remaining in the first half and almost picked up his third more than three minutes later until the call was changed.
The aggressiveness of freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and 3-point shooting of senior guard Devonte Green helped IU remain in front.
Once IU led 37-18, Penn State went on a 30-5 run that stretched from the first half to the second. A layup by Stevens with 14:09 remaining gave Penn State its first lead since it was 4-2.
Behind the defensive play and rebounding of sophomore forward Race Thompson and junior forward Justin Smith, IU eventually retook the lead. IU faced foul trouble for most of the game with five players racking up at least three fouls.
The Hoosiers went on a 13-0 run after Jackson-Davis dunked to get them back in the game after trailing by as much as six points. Jackson-Davis scored 13 points with 10 rebounds to give him his ninth double-double of the season.
Stevens scored 29 points to lead Penn State, but only one other Nittany Lion scored in the double-digit. Their offense couldn’t get much going outside the production from Stevens. He made half of Penn State’s field goals.
IU will travel to Purdue next on Thursday night, and the regular season ends in two weeks. The Boilermakers won the first meeting on Feb. 8 by 12 points in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
