Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Penn St
Men's Basketball Falls to Penn State, 73-64
2/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - Tavaras Hardy was one of four Northwestern men's basketball players to hit double figures in scoring and added 10 rebounds Wednesday night at Penn State, but the Nittany Lions prevailed, 73-64.
The loss dropped the Wildcats to 5-19 (0-11 Big Ten), while Penn State improved to 13-9 (5-6 Big Ten).
Unlike the first meeting between these two teams -- when Penn State blew out the 'Cats early and cruised -- Northwestern was in this game for much of the first half. The teams virtually traded points for the first eight minutes, before the Nittany Lions went on an 18-6 run over a seven-minute stretch to turn a 12-11 game into a 30-17 contest.
Northwestern tightened the screws during the next five minutes, holding PSU to just one point during that span, but could only make up four points themselves. And after PSU's Joe Crispin hit a pair of free throws with just five seconds left in the half, the Nittany Lions took a 33-21 lead into the locker room.
Penn State then scored the first five points of the second half to take a 17-point lead, where it hovered for a majority of the stanza before the Wildcats closed the game with a 14-4 run to bring the final deficit inside to single digits.
Hardy scored 16 points to go with his 10 boards, leading Northwestern in both categories. Freshmen Ben Johnson and Aaron Jennings added 15 and 12, respectively, while Steve Lepore scored 10 points.
For Penn State, Crispin led the way with 28 points thanks to six three-pointers, while Titus Ivory added 15 and Tyler Smith scored 10. Jarrett Stephens, one of the Big Ten's leading scorers, was held to six points by the Wildcats but led the Nittany Lions with 10 rebounds.
Northwestern will be back in action Saturday, hosting Illinois at 7 p.m. in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
