Zach Hicks scores 20 points, Penn State moves to 9-0 at home
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UNIVERSITY PARK — Zach Hicks scored 20 points to lead four in double figures, and Penn State held off Northwestern for an 84-80 victory Thursday night.
Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 15 of his 17 points from the line and had seven assists and five steals for Penn State. Puff Johnson added 11 points, and Freddie Dilione V scored 10. The Nittany Lions made half of their 44 field-goal attempts and shot 36 of 45 (80%) from the free-throw line.
Northwestern’s Brooks Barnhizer scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his seventh consecutive double-double. He also had eight assists, three steals and one block. Nick Martinelli added 18 points for the Wildcats, who shot 28 of 61 (46%) overall and 18 of 21 (86%) from the line.
Penn State used a 7-0 spurt to take an 80-75 advantage with 3 minutes, 5 seconds remaining. Northwestern had cut the deficit to 82-80 when Ty Berry missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds remaining.
Jalen Reach was underneath and scored the put back, but the bucket was negated after review. Northwestern regained possession, but Baldwin forced a turnover and then sealed it at the the line with 1.6 seconds left.
Penn State (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) has won six of its last seven games and is 9-0 at home. Northwestern (10-4, 1-2) ended a a four-game win streak.
There were 14 lead changes, seven ties and a combined 33 turnovers.
Northwestern takes to the road to face 20th-ranked Purdue on Sunday. The Nittany Lions host Indiana on Sunday.