Gophers men’s basketball loses at Penn State 77-75 on layup in closing seconds

Another close finish turned into another frustrating loss for the Gophers men’s basketball team.

Freshman Kayden Mingo’s layup with 1.4 seconds remaining lifted Penn State to a 77-75 victory Sunday, Feb. 1, in State College, Pa., the Gophers’ seventh loss in a row.

“We couldn’t have played the last part of the game any better,” Gophers coach Niko Medved told KFAN radio after the game. “I’m really disappointed we couldn’t find a way to win.”

The Gophers (10-12, 3-8 Big Ten) trailed by 13 points in the first half and were down 71-61 with 3 minutes, 31 seconds to play. But they tied the score at 75-75 with 31 seconds left on a free throw by Langston Reynolds.

A layup by Reynolds, which would have given the Gophers a 76-75 lead, was waved off because of basket interference, and Reynolds instead was awarded two free throws. He missed the second free throw.

At the other end, Mingo picked up his dribble at the edge of the lane while defended by Jaylen Crocker-Johnson. After spinning a couple of times, he leaned into the paint and put up the winning shot with his left hand.

The victory ended an eight-game losing streak for the Nittany Lions (10-12, 1-10), who were the only winless team in Big Ten play.

Freddie Dilione scored a career-high 25 points and Josh Reed added 18 for the Nittany Lions. Mingo finished with 14 points.

Reynolds led the Gophers with 18 points. Cade Tyson, who returned to the lineup after missing one game with an ankle injury, had 17 points. Bobby Durkin added 16 for the Gophers.

BOXSCORE: Penn State 77, Gophers 75

Big Ten basketball standings

Reed was 4-for-4 on three-pointers and scored 16 points in the first half to help the Nittany Lions build a 41-31 halftime lead.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Penn State,” Medved said, “because they played really well. But our defense was not close to what it needed to be in the first. They got a lot of clean looks, and we did not have an edge.”

The Gophers were 2-for-15 from three-point range before Reynolds made back-to-back three-pointers to pull the Gophers to within 36-29 with 1:40 left in the half.

During the Gophers’ losing streak, they have twice lost in overtime (Southern California, Ohio State); twice lost on baskets in the final moments of regulation (Wisconsin, Penn State); and twice in games in which they led in the second half (Nebraska, at Wisconsin). They also lost at Illinois in a game that was close until the final minutes.