Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Penn State
Nittany Lions Hold Off Pesky Herd, 73-69
12/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - A furious late game run for Marshall's men's basketball team came up just short in a 73-69 loss to Penn State at the Cam Henderson Center Saturday evening.
The Nittany Lions moved to 8-1 on the season, while Marshall fell to 3-5.
Penn State got 17 points apiece from D.J. Newbill, Brandon Taylor and John Johnson. Ross Travis secured nine rebounds and Newbill posted three steals.
Marshall was led by Jay Johnson's 19 points, while Tamron Manning chipped in 12 and Ryan Taylor and Aleksa Nikolic notched 10 apiece. JP Kambola was the team's leading rebounder with eight.
Penn State went into the half with a 31-24 lead, shooting 40 percent (5-12) from 3-point range. The Nittany Lions were led by Johnson and Taylor, who each had 10 points. Jay Johnson led the Herd in the first half with eight points.
After Penn State extended its lead in the second half as well, Marshall started to come back. With 5 seconds left, the Herd was able to close to within three points, with several hustle plays by Manning, Johnson, Nikolic and Taylor. Nikola scored a layup to make the score 71-69. From there, though, Penn State was able to hit two more free throws, putting the game out of reach. Manning had 12 second half points, while Johnson had 11. The Herd outscored Penn State 45-42 in the second half.
In its next game, Marshall will play the rival West Virginia Mountaineers on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 4:30 p.m. at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, W.Va.
