Rutgers sprints to early lead, holds off Penn State

Tariq Francis scored 22 points as visiting Rutgers defeated Penn State 85-72 on Wednesday in Big Ten action from University Park, Pa.

Three teammates scored in double figures for the Scarlet Knights (11-15, 4-11 Big Ten), including Dylan Grant (15 points), Harun Zrno (13) and Lino Mark (12). Francis added seven assists and had two of his team's 10 steals.

Josh Reed scored 22 points to pace Penn State (11-16, 2-14), which has dropped four of its last five games after a previous eight-game losing streak. Kayden Mingo chipped in 16 points, six assists and three steals for the Nittany Lions.

Following a lopsided first half, Rutgers led by as many as 20 early in the second session.

Reed, Melih Tunca and Fred Dilione V helped bring Penn State within 57-45 with 11:21 remaining. However, Mark answered with five consecutive points as the visitors eventually grew their lead back to 20.

Reed and Dominick Stewart did much of the heavy lifting to get the hosts within 76-68 with 2:54 left. But a 3-pointer and a jumper by Francis helped remove any drama as Rutgers held on.

Francis found Emmanuel Ogbole for a dunk just six seconds into the game, setting the tone for Rutgers' dominant start.

Zrno knocked down a 3-pointer before Francis, Kaden Powers and Jamichael Davis scored to increase the lead to 11-0.

At that point, Penn State was 0-of-6 from the field with four turnovers.

Mingo's layup got the Nittany Lions on the board 6 1/2 minutes into the game, but Francis promptly scored five straight points to create a 16-2 margin.

Penn State recovered a bit, getting within 20-12 before Rutgers countered with a 13-2 push. Mark had a three-point play early in that burst before capping the surge with a bucket to make it 33-14.

Nineteen points ended up being the margin at halftime, as the Scarlet Knights went into the locker room with a 39-20 cushion.

Francis led all scorers with 15 points in the first half.

--Field Level Media