Penn State ends skid, outlasts Rutgers in battle of Aces

Ace Baldwin Jr. recorded 22 points and eight assists as Penn State held off Ace Bailey and Rutgers for an 80-72 home victory Monday in University Park, Pa.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser chipped in 18 points for the Nittany Lions (13-6, 3-5 Big Ten), who snapped a four-game losing streak. Nick Kern added 16 points for Penn State, while Fred Dilione V notched 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

Bailey delivered a dynamic performance with 30 points on 13-of-15 shooting, in addition to seven rebounds. Lathan Sommerville pitched in with 12 points for the Scarlet Knights (10-9, 3-5).

Penn State trailed by three with less than 10 minutes to go when the hosts put together an 11-0 run, beginning with four points from Kern. Baldwin added a 3-pointer on the next trip, and then Konan Niederhauser recorded back-to-back buckets to make it 61-53 in favor of the Nittany Lions.

Shortly thereafter, Konan Niederhauser's layup gave Penn State its first double-digit lead, 67-57, with 4:18 to go.

Rutgers kept fighting, fueled by a full-court press and some much-needed offensive rebounds. Bailey's layup with about three minutes left brought the Scarlet Knights within 67-61, and then his tip-in about 30 seconds later made it 69-65.

Rutgers got as close as 69-67 before Penn State scored the next five points -- including a layup and two free throws by Kern.

Bailey drained a 3-pointer and then threw down a dunk in the final minute to draw the Scarlet Knights within 75-72. However, he was assessed a technical foul after the dunk -- his second tech of the game. That disqualified the star freshman and gave Penn State two free throws, plus the ball, which essentially sealed the outcome.

Rutgers scored the first six points of the game, but Penn State caught up at 16-16 and went on to lead 37-35 at halftime.

Baldwin led all scorers with 11 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer in the final minute that put the hosts in front at intermission.

--Field Level Media