Vaaks, Providence lead all of second half and beat Penn State 77-65
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Stefan Vaaks scored 15 points, Jason Edwards scored 14 points and Providence took control in the second half to beat Penn State 77-65 on Saturday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase.
Share Video
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Stefan Vaaks scored 15 points, Jason Edwards scored 14 points and Providence took control in the second half to beat Penn State 77-65 on Saturday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase.
Jaylin Sellers added 13 points and Oswin Ehrunmwunse scored 11 points for Providence (4-2).
In suffering its first loss of the season, reserve Freddie Dilione V scored 22 points and Melih Tunca 11 for the Nittany Lions (5-1). Tunca was the only Penn State starter in double-figures scoring and the starting unit finished 30.5% (11 of 36) shooting.
Providence turned its 32-31 advantage into a 10-point lead as the Friars emerged from halftime with a 9-0 run as Vaaks made a 3-pointer, Sellers threw down two dunks and Edwards made a layup.
After a two-minute scoreless span by both teams later in the second half, the Nittany Lions' Josh Reed made a 3 with 9:56 left to reduce Penn State's deficit to 55-52. Dilione's basket with 3:50 left got Penn State within 64-63 but it couldn't get past. Providence closed with a 13-2 run shooting 5 of 6 from the foul line and Vaaks making a pair of 3s in a 23-second stretch.
The Friars now have won back-to-back contests and three of their last four.
Penn State features the youngest team in the country among all Power 4 schools.
---
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright 2025 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
