• Box Score: Penn State 67, Nebraska 51
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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Nebraska’s free-fall to the bottom of the Big Ten men’s basketball standings is complete.
The Huskers’ 67-51 loss Saturday at longtime league doormat Penn State dropped NU into a tie for last place with PSU at 3-10.
Nebraska (11-13, 3-10) had early leads of 6-3 and 11-9 behind four points each from senior wings Toney McCray and Caleb Walker.
But Penn State (11-15, 3-10) took the lead for good with 13:07 to go in the first half. The margin grew to 12 points before halftime and as many as 20 in the second half. NU never got within double digits after halftime.
In the past 96 minutes of play over three games, Nebraska has led for only 3 minutes, 55 seconds.
“We just didn’t have a good basketball game,” NU coach Doc Sadler told the Husker Radio Network. “We didn’t defend the way we’ve got to defend on the road.
“I thought we played hard. But we’re not playing with any purpose. We’re just out there playing right now. We’ve got to figure out the purpose of what we’re trying to do.”
Penn State point guard Tim Frazier controlled the game. The 6-foot-1 junior had 23 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and three steals.
The Nittany Lions were last in the Big Ten in field-goal shooting (38.3 percent), but hit 57.9 percent in the first half Saturday and 52.3 percent overall. They also made 9 of 23 3-pointers, which is three more makes than usual.
Nebraska got 12 points from junior wing Dylan Talley, who started his day with an airball and also missed all three free throws when fouled once behind the arc. Walker added 10 points but also two airballs — one a layup.
The Huskers are off this week until Saturday, when they return to action at 4 p.m. at home against Illinois.
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