Hoosiers outlast Penn State 110-102 in triple overtime
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana needed three career-high scoring efforts to extend a Big Ten game nearly lost twice to beat Penn State 110-102 in triple-overtime on Wednesday night.
Sophomore center Thomas Bryant scored 31 points, eight more than his previous best, and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Hoosiers (15-8, 5-5).
Josh Newkirk and Robert Johnson also set personal bests with 27 points apiece.
"We had enough time to do it," Johnson said with a chuckle after a game that lasted more than three hours. "Those guys, we just kept fighting and it didn't matter who had to make the play."
Newkirk hit a go-ahead 3-pointer for a 98-95 lead with 3:05 remaining in 3OT. The Nittany Lions (12-11, 4-6) then lost their composure as Indiana freshman guard Devonte Green stole the ensuing inbounds pass and scored on a layup for a five-point lead.
"You fight, you know?" Bryant said of logging 44 minutes, another career high, as was Johnson's 50 minutes and Newkirk's 46. "You just gotta do it. It's no other way around it, (you) just gotta do it, be a man."
The Hoosiers led by as many as 10 points in the final overtime.
"That was unique, wasn't it?" Indiana coach Tom Crean said with a smile.
Penn State freshman guard Lamar Stevens had a career-high 26 points.
"The basketball gods are not on our side right now," Nittany Lions coach Patrick Chambers said. "That's OK. That's OK. We have to keep working, keep developing better habits."
Penn State was in position to win the game at the end of regulation as well as the first overtime. But Indiana freshman forward De'Ron Davis sank two free throws to tie it at 72 with 3.9 seconds remaining in regulation. Then Newkirk's driving layup at the buzzer, eventually counted after a lengthy video review, tied the game at 80 at the end of the first overtime.
"Newkirk, it has got to be one of his best games that I have ever seen him play," Chambers said, "and I watched him at Pittsburgh and coached against him at Pittsburgh. Good for him."
At the end of the second overtime, Penn State freshman guard Tony Carr sank a pair of foul shots to tie it at 73 with 4.5 seconds remaining. Carr scored 23 points.
Bryant, a 6-10 center, dominated inside with eight points in the third overtime.
"It would be hard for me to be much prouder of them," Crean said. "I don't know if I could be, in the sense of how they battled through and did not give in."
FIRST TIME
Indiana's storied 41-year history at Assembly Hall had never before hosted a triple-overtime game. But it wasn't the first time the Hoosiers had to play three extra periods. Indiana outlasted Wisconsin 86-85 in three overtimes on Feb. 16, 1987, at Madison, Wisconsin.
TOO MUCH DRAMA
Just two weeks ago, Hoosiers junior guard James Blackmon Jr. sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 78-75 road win over Penn State at State College, Pennsylvania. Indiana blew a 14-point lead midway through the second half before its leading scorer played hero at the end.
Blackmon is now sidelined indefinitely by a lower leg injury. And another key Indiana cog, sophomore forward OG Anunoby, is out for the season with a knee injury.
BIG PICTURE
Penn State: Losses in four of five road games has dropped the Nittany Lions in the conference standings, including below the Hoosiers, which increases the likelihood of a lower seed in the Big Ten Tournament and a possible early exit. Time appears to be running out on this team qualifying for a March tournament.
Indiana: Still recovering from losing its two best players to injuries, the Hoosiers are trying to figure out new roles for players who weren't counted on before to play lengthy minutes. The team needed this boost-of-confidence home win, especially when considering five of the last eight games are on the road. The Hoosiers are just 1-4 away from home.
UP NEXT
Penn State: Returns home to host conference cellar-dweller Rutgers (12-11, 1-9) on Saturday.
Indiana: Has challenging visit to No. 10 Wisconsin (19-3, 8-1) on Sunday.
