Indiana uses late magic to force multiple OTs vs. Penn State, snap skid

Well, that’s one way for Indiana to snap a two-game slide.

The Hoosiers led Penn State by as many as 13 points in regulation and by as many as six late in the second overtime. They hit two late free throws to force the first OT and connected on a buzzer-beater — or was it? — to force the second OT. They even toyed with blowing a 10-point lead in the fifth and final period as the Nittany Lions mounted yet another comeback.

But in the end, Indiana got back to .500 in Big Ten play by surviving this triple-overtime test of wills, 110-102. Thomas Bryant continued to rise to the occasion, posting a career-high 31 points off 13-for-18 shooting to go with 11 rebounds before fouling out in OT No. 3.

Josh Newkirk did much of the heavy lifting as well, scoring 27 points off 9-for-14 shooting, although one bucket will surely stand out above all.

Down 80-78 on the final possession of the first OT, Newkirk found himself out by the 3-point line with less than two seconds to go while being guarded by Anthony Carr. He made a move to the left, lifted off with his back to the basket and, with his right hand, banked in an off-balance lay-up as the horn sounded. His teammates’ muted reaction suggested this one was close, and inconclusive replays confirmed those intuitions — although since the original call was that the basket counted, there was no overturn and it was on to the second OT.

Penn State got over its frustration at the questionable call and was able to force a third OT before running out of gas, but the Lions can point to their free-throw woes as a primary reason for not closing this one out: They shot 6-of-12 from the stripe in regulation and 17 of 29 from there for the game.

Ironically enough, this is the first time in the last six meetings that a Penn State-Indiana game did not end with a margin of five points or less. But this one still managed to top the teams’ meeting two weeks ago in State College, when the Lions battled back from a five-point deficit in the final minute only to see James Blackmon hit a game-winning 3 at the buzzer.

Blackmon has missed the Hoosiers’ last two games and remains out indefinitely with a lower leg injury. The Hoosiers also lost OG Anunoby for the season (knee) in that earlier Penn State game, too, so this is clearly a different team.

Still, they will take any win they can get, and this one certainly was a test of character. Indiana is, for the moment, alone in sixth place in the Big Ten at 5-5, but life doesn’t get any easier, as the Hoosiers travel Sunday to first-place Wisconsin.