“It’s good to see that we’re improving and that we’ve been working on something like that and it’s actually paying off,” sophomore forward Gavin Schilling said.

Penn State senior guard D.J. Newbill, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, was held scoreless until the 8:15 mark, before he scored five straight. Over the rest of the half, Newbill asserted himself before finishing with 9 points at the break.

Senior guard Travis Trice didn’t score his first points of the night until the 6:09 mark, when he connected on a three-pointer. He and Valentine had a quiet first half, before finally breaking through a bit in the second.

Head coach Tom Izzo attributed some of the team’s first half struggles to Valentine’s foul trouble, as the junior picked up his second foul with 6:27 left in the half.

“We’re just not good enough when teams go zone and different things if we don’t have him in there," Izzo said. "He was out so much of that game, especially in the first half when we had a little lead.”

MSU held a two point lead at halftime, but out of the break, Newbill picked up where he left off, connecting on a three when Trice gambled for a steal, leaving him wide open.

Junior guard Bryn Forbes made his first three of the night at the 9:16 mark, but right back came Newbill, drilling a three with Dawson breathing all over him to tie the game at 44.

At about the six and three minute marks, Forbes made important threes, finishing the half with 9 points. Each Forbes three, however, seemed to be answered by the Nittany Lions.

On back-to-back possessions, Valentine resurfaced for the Spartans with a hard drive down the baseline leading to a bucket and later, a jumper to give MSU a 53-51 lead.

A technical foul call on Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers sent Valentine to the line, where he split a pair. Chambers wasn’t pleased with the way some of the foul calls went for most of the evening, hinting after the game that a “hall of fame coach” like Izzo was getting the whistles.

Although they started the game shooting well from the line, the Spartans faded towards the end. Trice missed three out of four in the final minute, which allowed Penn State to hang around even longer.

“I’d just say that’s focus,” Trice said. “To shoot it well in the first half then not in the second half, it’s just focus. It’s something we need to continue throughout the whole game.”

Valentine eventually made two free throws with 12.2 seconds left to ice the game, making it 66-60.

Five Spartans scored in double figures, as Dawson led the way with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Schilling also recorded a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 10 boards. For Penn State, Newbill was terrific down the stretch, using 18 second half points to finish with 27.