Jae'Sean Tate, Ohio State top Penn State, 71-70, in final seconds

(AP) Jae'Sean Tate sank a layup with three seconds left to lift Ohio State to a 71-70 win over Penn State on Tuesday.

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Tate finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, Marc Loving added 14 and Trevor Thompson chipped in 11 for the Buckeyes (17-13, 7-10 Big Ten) who won on the road for just the fourth time this season.

Penn State took the lead on a Tony Carr 3-pointer with nine seconds to play but Tate ran the court and found room underneath to hit the winning basket.

Carr finished with 21, Shep Garner notched 20 points and Lamar Stevens added 16 for Penn State (14-16, 6-11), which lost its fourth straight.

The Buckeyes led for more than 25 minutes and were up 40-36 at halftime. They surrendered the lead just under two minutes into the second half on a pair of Stevens free throws. They got it back on an Andre Wesson 3-pointer with 6:39 to play.

Meanwhile, Penn State's offense went cold. The Nittany Lions went without a field goal for 4:29 of the final 5:11 before Carr cut Ohio State's lead to 69-67 with a layup with 42 seconds left.

THE BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: The Buckeyes sometimes hopeful, oftentimes frustrating season can be summed up by looking at their last two games – a complete effort in a win over No. 22 Wisconsin and this back-and-forth tilt with middle-of-the-pack Penn State.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions have often looked like a completely different – and much more competitive – team at home. With youth on their side, the Nittany Lions just need more consistency to take the next step.

UP NEXT

Ohio State hosts Indiana on Saturday.

Penn State is at Iowa on Sunday.