Penn State basketball pulls off epic last minute rally to upset No. 12 Illinois

On the heels of a three-game losing streak, Penn State basketball stormed back from a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat No. 12 Illinois 90-89 inside historic Rec Hall Wednesday night. Down seven with a minute to play, the Nittany Lions came storming back to rattle off eight unanswered points for the upset win. The second top-15 win of the year, Mike Rhoades will now look to get his squad back to .500 with another home matchup this weekend.

Penn State basketball rallies in final seconds to upset Illinois in Rec Hall

Mike Rhoades and Penn State basketball made their return to historic Rec Hall Wednesday night at perhaps the lowest point of the season. On their second three-plus game losing streak and after dismissing leading scorer Kanye Clary from the team earlier in the week, the Nittany Lions had seemingly lost all the momentum from a hot start to February. 

The Nittany Lions’ woes continued early in this contest. After controlling much of the first half, Illinois closed the final three minutes on a 10-3 run to take a seven-point advantage into halftime. The deficit ballooned to 14 points with 16 to play, and hovered in the double digits most of the second half. 

But then, Penn State basketball flipped a switch for the most electric ending of the season. Down seven with a minute to play, Jameel Brown hit a three to cut the deficit to four. A quick Puff Johnson steal and score put the Illinois lead at two. On the foul line with 18 seconds left, Illinois Coleman Hawkins missed both opportunities to give the Nittany Lions a chance to win. 

Zach Hicks scored eight of the Nittany Lions’ final 13 points in the final two minutes of play. This included all three foul shots with four seconds to play to give Penn State basketball the comeback win. However, the standout performance of the night has to go to guard Nick Kern, who put up 22 points on 10-27 shooting, including 18 second-half points. 

The scene afterward was about everything the Nittany Lions could have hoped for, with a court storming capping off a historic return to Rec Hall. The upset is Penn State’s second top-15 win under Mike Rhoades this season, having defeated No. 11 Wisconsin on January 16. 

Penn State basketball will look to keep the momentum going Saturday afternoon in the Bryce Jordan Center with a matchup against Indiana. 

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlet. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can proudly claim a readership of over 3.5 million in our first year of operation.