In front of a raucous home crowd, Penn State men’s basketball hands Maryland its first loss of the season

No. 4 Maryland came into the Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday with a perfect 10-0 record.

And the Terrapins left with their first loss of the season. Penn State bounced back from its blowout loss in Columbus on Saturday with a big 76-69 win over No. 4 Maryland on Tuesday night.

“What a home court advantage we had tonight,” coach Patrick Chambers said. “There were situations where I couldn’t hear in the huddles, I couldn’t hear talking to our guys on the bench, and that’s fantastic and I really appreciate the students.”

Seniors Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins led the Nittany Lions with 15 points in the contest. Watkins recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds.

Stevens was one rebound away from also recording a double-double. Outside of Stevens and Watkins, sophomores Myreon Jones and Iziah Brockington both recorded 14 points.

“In previous years, it was always a hero that would step up and [be] the reason why we won the game,” Stevens said. “Tonight, it was everybody. Everybody really contributed in the big moments and I think that’s why you know you have the making of a good team.”

Stevens gave credit to Brockington, who played a big role off the bench in the win, calling him “fearless”. The guard hit a clutch three-pointer late in the game to put the contest on ice.

On the flip side, Maryland dominated the game in terms of rebounding and free-throw attempts, two areas that usually lead to success. Penn State didn’t shoot a free throw until late in the second half when the Terrapins started to intentionally foul.

The statistic that ended up mattering the most in the game was the turnover battle. Penn State committed just eight turnovers to Maryland’s 20, and would score 22 points off of the Terrapins’ lack of ball security.

Feature Image By Logan Bourandas