The 3rd time was the charm, but it took some Magic. Never has the 60-point mark been more important. The score was tied 59-59 with 24.3 seconds remaining on the clock. Both I.U. and Penn State had opportunities to reach it during the minutes before. The Nittany Lions tied the game at 59 on an Ace Baldwin basket with 1:25 left. He had struggled all night after 23 and 22-point performances in the previous two games and ended up with only 9. After a pair of empty possessions for both teams and a timeout, Malik Reneau missed a runner in the lane with just over six seconds left, but Anthony Leal’s tip-in gave the Hoosiers a two-point lead. Penn State had a final look, but Puff Johnson’s 3-pointer missed to send the Hoosiers to the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals against Nebraska. 

The last game I.U. had lost was against Penn State. They are now on a five-game winning streak. The Hoosiers, without Trey Galloway, came out of the gate defending with tenacity. Free throw shooting kept Penn State in the game, followed by a flurry to start the second half. Mackenzie Mgbako, recently named the Big Ten’s co-freshman of the year, finished with 11, but all but one were in the first half. Kel’el Ware led all scorers with 18, while Reneau added 12. Leal totaled 8, with one three, but none more important than the buzzer beater. With 19 wins, one more may be enough to get them in the NCAA tourney, a lost cause just weeks before.