On Saturday, MSU (11-5, 3-0) went on the road and defeated No. 19 Penn State (11-4, 1-2) 75-65 in a dominant performance that featured four Spartans scoring in double figures and a lead that grew to as many as 23 points.

Freshman guard Kiana Johnson scored a career-high 18 points while adding five assists and four rebounds and senior forward Lykendra Johnson tallied another double-double, scoring 10 points along with 15 rebounds and four steals.

But it was the play of senior guard Taylor Alton, who scored 20 points and made six 3-pointers, both personal bests, that broke the game open.

The Spartans sprinted out to a fast start, pummeling the Nittany Lions with suffocating defense and a barrage of 3-pointers that left Penn State heading to their home locker room stunned, trailing 46-24 at halftime.

The 24 first-half points were a season-low for Penn State, who finished the game with 25 turnovers and could only manage 36 percent shooting.

MSU held junior guard Alex Bentley — the Big Ten’s preseason player of the year — to four points, five turnovers and just 2-for-12 shooting from the floor, but Penn State didn’t go away quietly.

The Nittany Lions mounted a furious second half comeback, led by sophomore guard Maggie Lucas who exploded for 28 second half points after being limited to just five points in the first half.

Lucas knocked down a career-high seven 3-pointers and helped lead a 12-0 run that saw the Spartans lead cut to four with just under three minutes to go in the game.

But it was the calm and collected play of MSU freshman guard Kiana Johnson, who scored eight of the team’s final 10 points, that sealed the win for the Spartans.

MSU will now return home to take on Indiana (5-11, 0-3) at 7 p.m. Thursday.