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After a flurry of close calls throughout the B1G season, Penn State has finally notched its first conference victory of the season.
The Nittany Lions posted a 59-52 win over Northwestern on Monday night, largely behind the effort of Lamar Stevens who finished the game with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He was one of just two Penn Staters to reach double figures, with Rasir Bolton putting up 14 points off the bench.
Northwestern started the game hot, jumping out to a 10-2 lead out of the gate. But the rest of the first half was a back-and-forth contest. Penn State was able to gain a 32-30 advantage heading into the locker room. The Lions never trailed in the second half.
It was only a matter of time before @PennStateMBB tasted victory in @B1GMBBall play.
Monday was the night, as the Nittany Lions went into Evanston and beat Northwestern. pic.twitter.com/Lzc74n6hvn
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 5, 2019
For the Wildcats, Vic Law registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Derek Pardon was close to the mark while leading the team in scoring. He totaled 18 points and grabbed nine boards.
The rest of the team combined for just 24 points.
In the previous 10 losses in the B1G, Penn State had lost six games by seven points or less. It also took Purdue to overtime last week but came up short. The Lions had been knocking on the door for quite some time and it finally opened.
Penn State is now 1-10 in B1G play and 8-14 overall. Northwestern dropped to 3-8 in the conference with a 12-10 mark overall.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB