Penn State’s upset win over Ohio State helps keep NCAA tournament dreams alive

They did it again.

After upsetting Ohio State three weeks ago with a 35-foot buzzer beater on the road, the Nittany Lions rode that momentum to a 79-56 win Thursday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The white-out crowd stormed the court as the final buzzer sounded — even football coach James Franklin joined in the celebration.

The Nittany Lions dominated the Buckeyes for most of the game, leading by as many as 30 points.

Sophomore guard Tony Carr led Penn State in scoring with 30 points. Meanwhile, Josh Reaves, Shep Garner and Mike Watkins also scored in double digits.

“We’ve tried almost everyone on our perimeter on him,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said after the game about Carr.

Penn State made 45 percent of its three pointers, while Ohio State went 2-15. The Nittany Lions also played strong defensively, forcing 10 turnovers — including eight from steals and six blocked shots.

Penn State’s two wins over the Buckeyes mark Ohio State’s only two losses in the Big Ten.

Although the 19-9 Nittany Lions are playing better than they have all season, they’re running out of time to notch quality wins that would catch the eye of the NCAA tournament’s selection committee. Thursday night’s win over the No. 8 team certainly helps.

They next play at No. 6 Purdue at 8 p.m. Sunday.

This story was originally published February 15, 2018 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Penn State’s upset win over Ohio State helps keep NCAA tournament dreams alive."