By: Will Greer

In front of a packed house on Social Media Night, Northwestern’s icy shooting was too much to overcome, as Penn State thoroughly dominated the ‘Cats and dealt a serious blow to NU’s NCAA tournament aspirations.

• Northwestern’s defense, particularly its help defense, was effective early on. The ‘Cats took two charges in the game’s first five minutes.
• The Wildcats missed their first 17 shots from three, while Penn State made three of their first four three balls and shot 6-13 from behind the arc in the first half. It was the first time that Northwestern failed to make a 3-pointer in a half all season.
• After being given a standing ovation, Alex Olah forced up a couple shots in his first action since December 21. He finished the game with five points in limited action.
• Aaron Falzon, debatably Northwestern’s biggest x-factor in Big Ten play, missed his first eight field goal attempts, seven of which were three point attempts. He finished with five points, shooting 2-11 from the field.
• After Northwestern led 8-5 at the 14:54 mark, Penn State went on a 20-6 run to take an 11-point lead. Northwestern never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.
• Tre Demps’ 3-pointer at the 10:19 mark of the second half was Northwestern’s first made 3-ball of the game. The ‘Cats finished 3-27 (11 percent) from beyond the arc.
• The loss is, RPI-wise, Northwestern’s worst of the season. Penn State came into the game with an RPI of 108, giving the Wildcats their first loss to a team with an RPI above 100.
• Northwestern is now 1-3 on the year when they shoot below 25% from three-point land.