March 8, 2026; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Darren Buchanan Jr. (5) attempts a dunk during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Jersey Mike’s Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Tariq Francis scored 18 points, freshman Lino Mark had 16, and Rutgers closed out the regular season with a 74-62 win over Penn State on Sunday afternoon in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Rutgers (13-18, 6-14 Big Ten) used 12-0 and 16-0 runs in the first half to build a generous cushion. The Scarlet Knights scored 22 points on fast breaks and their bench outscored Penn State 21-3.
Jamichael Davis had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Darren Buchanan Jr. had eight points to go with a career-high 12 rebounds and Chris Nwuli had seven points.
Freddie Dilione V and Ivan Juric each had 16 points, Kayden Mingo had 13 and Josh Reed added 10 for Penn State (12-19, 3-17). All four players grabbed 7 rebounds each.
The game had no impact on the Big Ten tournament bracket. Rutgers is the No. 14 seed and will face No. 11 Minnesota in the second round on Wednesday. Penn State will take the back seat and play No. 15 Northwestern in the opening round on Tuesday.
The Nittany Lions led 10-8 early after Dominick Stewart caught a steal near halfcourt and hit Mingo with a no-look pass over his shoulder for a fastbreak bucket.
Francis responded with a 3-pointer, sparking the Scarlet Knights’ first run. Five different players scored in the 12-point spurt, capped by back-to-back full-court layups from Nwuli and Mark.
Penn State used a timeout to try to quell the flow, but soon Davis knocked down a 3 to start a 16-0 run for Rutgers. Buchanan scored six points, including two dunks.
The Nittany Lions went scoreless for 6:35 and committed five turnovers in that span.
Rutgers led by as many as 26 points after leading 43-21 at halftime, but Penn State rebounded thanks to 50% shooting in the second half after shooting 33.3% in the first half. Rutgers’ Emmanuel Ogbole had a two-handed dunk for the senior, Nwuli added an athletic bucket and a foul shot and Davis hit a jumper to restore the 20-point advantage with 8:08 left.
Juric’s four free throws and a layup got Penn State within 12 points on two occasions, but Francis’ 3-pointer as the shot clock expired tied the game at 72-57 with 1:46 left.
–Field level media
