Penn State Nittany Lions @ Minnesota Golden Gophers
Willis, Curry help Minnesota beat Penn St. 76-70, snap skid
MINNEAPOLIS -- — Sixth-year senior Eric Curry scored a career-high 22 points, Payton Willis scored 13 of his 18 in the second half and Minnesota beat Penn State 76-70 on Saturday night to snap a five-game losing streak.
Willis made 3 of 4 from 3-point range and finished with 10 assists and six rebounds. E.J. Stephens scored 13 points — going 5 of 6 from the free-throw line in the final 2 minutes — and Luke Loewe added nine of his 11 after halftime for Minnesota (12-10, 3-10 Big Ten).
Sam Sessoms scored six points in a 98-second span to give Penn State (9-12, 4-9) a 67-65 lead with 3:45 to play, but Loewe answered with a layup 25 seconds later to spark an 11-3 closing run. The Nittany Lions shot just 1 of 5 from the field and committed three of their 13 turnovers during that stretch.
Sessoms led Penn State with 18 points. Seth Lundy shot 6 of 9 from the field, 4 of 5 from 3-point range and finished with 16 points and John Harrar added 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Penn State has lost three in a row and five of its last six.
Minnesota plays at No. 16 Ohio State on Tuesday. Penn State returns home to play Tuesday against Michigan State.
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Game Information
Minneapolis, MN
Referee:Robert Riley
Referee:Courtney Green
Referee:Edwin Young
2025-26 Standings
| Big Ten ConferenceBig Ten Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 19-1 | - | 37-3 |
| Nebraska | 15-5 | 4 | 28-7 |
| Michigan State | 15-5 | 4 | 27-8 |
| Illinois | 15-5 | 4 | 28-9 |
| Wisconsin | 14-6 | 5 | 24-11 |
| Purdue | 13-7 | 6 | 30-9 |
| UCLA | 13-7 | 6 | 24-12 |
| Ohio State | 12-8 | 7 | 21-13 |
| Iowa | 10-10 | 9 | 24-13 |
| Indiana | 9-11 | 10 | 18-14 |
| Minnesota | 8-12 | 11 | 15-18 |
| USC | 7-13 | 12 | 18-14 |
| Washington | 7-13 | 12 | 16-17 |
| Rutgers | 6-14 | 13 | 14-20 |
| Northwestern | 5-15 | 14 | 15-19 |
| Oregon | 5-15 | 14 | 12-20 |
| Maryland | 4-16 | 15 | 12-21 |
| Penn State | 3-17 | 16 | 12-20 |
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