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UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State men’s basketball team held off a furious second-half comeback by Chattanooga to secure a 97-93 victory on Thursday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.
With the victory, the Nittany Lions improved to 2-0 on the season, while the Mocs dropped to 0-2.
Penn State carried a commanding 54-31 lead into halftime, marking its highest-scoring first half since the 2024-25 season opener against Binghamton. Despite being outscored 62-43 in the second half, the Nittany Lions held on to secure the four-point victory.
Graduate forward Josh Reed matched his career high with a team-leading 25 points, highlighted by a career-best 15 made free throws on 16 attempts. Reed also made his presence felt defensively, recording a game-high five steals.
Sophomore forward Ivan Jurić recorded his second consecutive double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Zagreb, Croatia, native established a career high with 10 made free throws on 14 attempts while adding two blocks and a steal.
Roko Prkačin continued his impressive start in a Penn State uniform, contributing 13 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench. The Croatian forward finished a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and is shooting 88.9 percent through his first two games as a Nittany Lion.
François Wibaut added 14 points and four rebounds off the bench, while Dasonte Bowen finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Thomas Allard rounded out Penn State’s six double-digit scorers with 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
The Nittany Lions finished 43-for-49 (87.8 percent) from the charity stripe, outscoring Chattanooga 43-14 at the free throw line. Penn State’s 43 free throws made broke a 26-year record for a single game.
Penn State controlled the glass throughout the contest, outrebounding Chattanooga 40-30, including 15 offensive rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State came out firing, jumping to an 8-2 lead behind Allard, who scored the Nittany Lions’ first eight points on a pair of 3-pointers and a mid-range jumper. Chattanooga answered with six straight points to tie the game before Bowen put Penn State back in front with a 3-pointer.
Wibaut provided an early spark off the bench, scoring six straight points to help Penn State build momentum. The Nittany Lions continued to pull away, using a dominant effort on the glass and aggressive defense to extend their advantage to a game-high 23 points.
The Nittany Lions shot 50 percent from the field and converted 21-of-22 free throws in the opening 20 minutes.
Chattanooga stormed out of halftime with eight unanswered points, holding Penn State scoreless for the opening three and a half minutes. The Mocs continued to chip away behind aggressive full-court pressure, cutting a 23-point halftime deficit to 12 just six minutes into the second half.
Penn State responded with timely contributions from Prkačin, Reed and Jurić, while Allard’s third 3-pointer extended the lead to 78-66. Chattanooga refused to go away, however, trimming the deficit to single digits and keeping the pressure on down the stretch.
Reed took over in the closing minutes, delivering crucial baskets, forcing a timely turnover and converting at the free throw line to preserve Penn State’s advantage.
Chattanooga connected from deep in the closing seconds to pull within three, but Prkačin sealed the 97-93 victory with a free throw as Penn State improved to 2-0.
POSTGAME NOTES
The Nittany Lions welcomed back Chattanooga head coach Dan Earl to the Bryce Jordan Center on Thursday night. A standout point guard for the Penn State men's basketball team, Earl was a four-year starter and three-year captain for the Nittany Lions, earning All-Big Ten honors in 1996 and 1999.
Penn State improved to 2-0 for the fifth consecutive season.
Penn State is now 3-0 all-time against Chattanooga, with the only previous meetings coming in 1995 and 1996.
Penn State has scored 194 total points through its first two games while holding opponents to 150.
The Nittany Lions improved to 2-0 at the Bryce Jordan Center this season in front of an announced crowd of 4,935.
Penn State led for 36:49 of the contest and never trailed.
Penn State has scored 97 or more points in each of its first two games.
Six Nittany Lions finished in double figures on the night: Reed (25), Jurić (15), Wibaut (14), Prkačin (13), Bowen (13), and Allard (11).
Josh Reed tied a career high with 25 points on the night and set a new career high with 15 made free throws.
The Nittany Lions finished 43-for-49 (87.8 percent) from the charity stripe, outscoring Chattanooga 43-14 at the free throw line.
Penn State’s 43 free throws made broke a 26-year record for a single game.
The Nittany Lions received 27 points from their bench, compared to just eight for Chattanooga.
Through two games, Penn State has made 64 free throws on 78 attempts, shooting 82.1 percent from the line.
Chattanooga’s Kobe McDowell-White scored 28 points, including seven 3-pointers, while Matthew Hampton added 25 points.
UP NEXT
Penn State leaves Happy Valley for the first time in 2026-27 and will travel to Philadelphia for a neutral site, non-conference battle vs. University of Pittsburgh on Sunday at 8 p.m. (ET) at The Palestra. The contest will be televised on ESPN 2.