Penn State Nittany Lions vs Nebraska Cornhuskers
Penn State pulls away late, beats Nebraska 72-66
INDIANAPOLIS -- — Jamari Wheeler scored a career-high 19 points, and No. 11 seed Penn State pulled away inside the last four minutes to beat No. 14 seed Nebraska 72-66 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Big Ten Conference tournament.
Penn State (11-13) has won four of its last five games and plays sixth-seeded Wisconsin in the second round Thursday.
Tied at 59-all with 3:48 remaining, John Harrar made a free throw and Myles Dread hit a 3-pointer to spark a 13-7 closing run by the Nittany Lions, who trailed 37-23 at the break.
Myreon Jones and Izaiah Brockington added 14 points apiece for Penn State. Sam Sessoms had 11 points. Wheeler and Jones combined for six of the Nittany Lions' seven 3-pointers. Harrar matched career highs with 14 rebounds and four assists.
Trey McGowens scored 13 points for Nebraska (7-20). Indianapolis native and Western Illinois transfer Kobe Webster and Thorir Thorbjarnarson added 12 points each.
Penn State opened the second half on a 15-2 run and took their first lead since the opening bucket, 51-50 with 9:27 to play.
The teams split the regular-season series by a combined four points. The Nittany Lions are 3-0 against Nebraska in the conference tournament.
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Game Information
Indianapolis, IN
Referee:D.J. Carstensen
Referee:Paul Szelc
Referee:Kelly Pfeifer
2025-26 Standings
| Big Ten ConferenceBig Ten Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 19-1 | - | 37-3 |
| Nebraska | 15-5 | 4 | 28-7 |
| Michigan State | 15-5 | 4 | 27-8 |
| Illinois | 15-5 | 4 | 28-9 |
| Wisconsin | 14-6 | 5 | 24-11 |
| Purdue | 13-7 | 6 | 30-9 |
| UCLA | 13-7 | 6 | 24-12 |
| Ohio State | 12-8 | 7 | 21-13 |
| Iowa | 10-10 | 9 | 24-13 |
| Indiana | 9-11 | 10 | 18-14 |
| Minnesota | 8-12 | 11 | 15-18 |
| USC | 7-13 | 12 | 18-14 |
| Washington | 7-13 | 12 | 16-17 |
| Rutgers | 6-14 | 13 | 14-20 |
| Northwestern | 5-15 | 14 | 15-19 |
| Oregon | 5-15 | 14 | 12-20 |
| Maryland | 4-16 | 15 | 12-21 |
| Penn State | 3-17 | 16 | 12-20 |
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