Penn State grabs win at Northwestern

Jermaine Marshall and D.J. Newbill each scored 18 points to lead Penn State to a 66-59 victory over Northwestern on Thursday night. Penn State (10-19, 2-15 Big Ten), last in the 12-team conference, scored the game's first 12 points, withstood a Northwestern surge, then pulled away in the second half. The Nittany Lions' only other conference win was at home against No. 7 Michigan on Feb. 27.

Catch up on all the action on our Big Ten scoreboard and get video, stats and recaps in this post.

[ BOX | AP RECAP | SCORES | ALL PHOTOS | CONNECT | RAPID RECAPS | B1G DUNKS ]

FINAL: Penn State (10-19) was able to carry momentum into the break and sustain it to start the second half. The Nittany Lions trailed 28-26 with 3:38 left in the first half, but went on an 18-4 run over the next 8:43 to take a 12-point lead. Alex Marcotullio was a bright spot for Northwestern (13-17) in the loss with 22 points, three assists, and 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Penn State broke out to an early 12-point lead after a 15-3 run early in the game.

Nick Colella ended the run with a field goal, which helped the Nittany Lions hold a 34-30 advantage at halftime. The Nittany Lions shot 49 percent from the field (22-of-45). Penn State was hot from long range, hitting 7-of-17 threes for a 41 percent night from beyond the arc. The Nittany Lions shot 15-of-25 from the free throw line. Penn State was tough on the offensive boards, grabbing 14. The Nittany Lions also got a double-digit contribution from D.J. Newbill (18 points).

The Wildcats struggled from the floor, shooting 35 percent (17-of-48). More Northwestern scoring came from Reggie Hearn (11 points). Penn State won the battle on the boards as well as the game, as it outrebounded Northwestern 41-25. The loss extends the Wildcats' losing streak to seven games.

HALFTIME: The Nittany Lions made seven of 11 free throws and jumped out to 12-0 lead with 15:20 left in the first half.

Northwestern moved the ball in the first half, accounting for seven assists on eight field goals. Seven Northwestern players have scored. The Nittany Lions fired often and fired with accuracy from distance, hitting 50 percent (5-of-10) of their three-point attempts. Penn State has eight offensive rebounds to Northwestern's three. Northwestern's Reggie Hearn has six points and three rebounds. Jermaine Marshall has 13 points for Penn State.

***