All night, Michigan State could not get out of its own way and resorted back to committing the same mistakes that have bitten them in previous losses. The game was tied at half because of MSU’s eight first-half turnovers (11 total) and the inability to deny second-chance opportunities. Penn State scored 26 points off turnovers or second-chance shots, as opposed to 18 for MSU. 

The Nittany Lions were led by fifth-year center John Harrar had a career night for Penn State scoring 16 points and hauling in 16 rebounds, six of them offensive, to lead the Nittany Lions. Junior forward Seth Lundy was also a flamethrower from deep, pouring in five threes for a game-high 17 points. 

The Spartans were led by junior center Julius Marble II, who finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes. Freshman guard Max Christie and senior forward Gabe Brown both looked like themselves after recent struggles, scoring eight and seven points respectively. 

With sophomore guard A.J. Hoggard leading the team in his second consecutive start at point guard, the offense came out humming, for the most part, early in the first half. Michigan State jumped out to a 16-9 lead halfway through the opening half after shooting 57% (8-14) but Penn State quickly equalized after the familiar issues began to take root for MSU.

The Spartans started gifting the ball away, turning the ball over eight times in total in the first half, giving Penn State extra opportunities to close the gap. Penn State quickly made it a one-possession game thanks to a 7-2 run fueled by two MSU turnovers and two offensive rebounds from Harrar.

MSU held a one or two-possession lead for most of the rest of the half until Penn State charged ahead thanks to a five-minute scoring drought from 6:24 to 1:30 in the first half. MSU was stuck clanging shots and turning the ball over, allowing Penn State to jump ahead 24-22 before sophomore center Mady Sissoko tied the game again with a jump hook in the final minute of the half. 

The struggles left MSU and Penn State tied at 24, despite Michigan State shooting 20 percent better than the field. Penn State capitalized through its seven offensive rebounds and tough perimeter defense, forcing eight turnovers. 

The tide turned quickly for Michigan State coming out of the locker room. The Spartans rattled off a quick 8-0 run in the first two and a half minutes, fueled by a pair of threes from redshirt senior forward Joey Hauser and Brown. 

An eight-point lead quickly grew to a 14-point lead for the Spartans by the 13-minute mark as Christie and Marble continued their strong nights offensively. It looked like Michigan State turned a corner, but with this team, that’s usually not the case. 

But Penn State, a team known for making games interesting, was not done yet. The Nittany Lions quickly ripped off a 15-2 run over the next three minutes after falling down by 14 to make it 45-44, MSU. 

Senior guard Sam Sessoms was the savior down the stretch, who scored half the points during the run to keep the Nittany Lions alive entering the final eight minutes of the game. Sessoms finished with nine points, all of which came in the second half.

After MSU’s lead was whittled to one point, the margin remained in the single digits for the rest of the game, but the Nittany Lions could not find a way into the lead until the final two minutes when Lundy took over.

Trailing 54-50, Lundy scored five straight points to give Penn State a one-point lead heading into the final minute of the game. The Nittany Lions sunk all their free throws in the final seconds, securing their upset victory.

The loss moves Michigan State to 18-7 overall and 9-5 in conference play. MSU returns to action on Saturday at home against Illinois in a game that will have Big Ten title implications.