Penn State tops Northwestern with defense, 3-point shooting

Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said earlier this week that his team needs to make at least seven 3-pointers to be competitive in Big Ten play.

The Nittany Lions hit that number in their first conference win over Minnesota.

They surpassed that total Saturday night, hitting nine 3-pointers in a 71-62 win over Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Penn State finished 9 for 21 from 3-point range, an efficient 42.9 percent performance for a team that went into Saturday ranked last in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (26.4) and 3-pointers made (24) against league opponents.

Penn State (11-8, 2-4) had also struggled defending against the 3, allowing Big Ten opponents to shoot a conference-best 44.9 percent in five games. Northwestern (15-4, 3-3) missed its first 17 3-point attempts and finished 3 for 26 from deep against Penn State.

Brandon Taylor paced the Nittany Lions with 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Donovon Jack added 14 points and nine rebounds, and Payton Banks had 10.

Tre Demps led Northwestern with 22 points, and Bryant McIntosh had 12 points and 10 assists. Dererk Pardon added 12 points for the Wildcats, who shot 38.8 percent from the field.

Penn State took a 30-23 lead into halftime. The Nittany Lions went 6 for 13 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes, while Northwestern went 0 for 12.

The Nittany Lions got on the board with a 3-pointer by Taylor. The senior forward knocked down three 3-pointers in the first half. Jack, Devin Foster and Davis Zemgulis each hit from beyond the arc to help Penn State take a seven-point lead at the break.

Northwestern shot 28.1 percent from the field in the first half.

Penn State maintained control and remained efficient from beyond the arc in the second half.

Shep Garner knocked down a 3 to give the Nittany Lions a 45-31 lead with more than 12 minutes to play, and Taylor followed with a 3 about two minutes later to push the lead to 17 points.

The Wildcats pulled within seven points three times in the final minute.

After missing the previous six games due to a left foot injury, Northwestern center Alex Olah finished with five points and two rebounds.

Penn State hosts Wisconsin at 8 p.m. Thursday.

This story was originally published January 16, 2016 at 11:07 PM with the headline "Penn State tops Northwestern with defense, 3-point shooting."