STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (Interstat) — Rutgers built a massive first-half lead and withstood a furious Penn State rally to win 85-72 in a Big Ten men’s basketball game Wednesday night at Bryce Jordan Center.

The Scarlet Knights led 39-20 at halftime after holding the Nittany Lions to 20 first-half points. Penn State outscored Rutgers 52-46 after intermission but never closed the gap to single digits.

Tariq Francis led Rutgers with 22 points and seven assists. Josh Reed scored 22 points for Penn State. Rutgers shot 56.6% from the field and forced 15 turnovers. The Scarlet Knights improved to 11-15. The Nittany Lions fell to 11-16.