Daniel Oturu scores career-high 32 points but Minnesota falls at Penn State, 83-77

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. _ Penn State's students rushed down the Bryce Jordan Center steps an hour before game time Saturday afternoon to pack their section.

It didn't take long for the rest of the arena to fill up for the first announced sellout since 2011.

This wasn't your typical Penn State crowd, but this was one of the best teams in program history.

The Gophers hadn't lost in the series in three years, but that streak came to an end after falling 83-77 Saturday after Lamar Stevens' 33 points led the No. 22-ranked Nittany Lions.

Daniel Oturu's career-high 32 points and 16 rebounds weren't enough to overcome a 19-point second-half deficit for the Gophers (12-11, 6-7), who fell to 1-8 in true road games this season.

Minnesota used a 15-4 run in the second half to pull within 71-68 after Gabe Kalscheur's 3-pointer with just under five minutes to play.

The Gophers were able to finish strong once on the road this season, but the opportunity for another NCAA Tournament-resume boosting win slipped away again.

After Kalscheur's 3, Oturu went to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but he missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

That was just enough of a momentum killer for the Nittany Lions (18-5, 8-4) to take control. Lamar Stevens and Myles Dread responded with six straight points, including Dread's 3-pointer to extend it to a 76-68 lead at the 3:15 mark.

Marcus Carr finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Minnesota.

The Gophers defeated Penn State, 75-69, on Jan. 15 at Williams Arena behind 51 points from Carr and Oturu combined, but they were facing an opponent in a slump after not knowing how to deal with success.

Penn State coach Pat Chambers had his team then ranked for the first time in 23 years before losing three in a row, but the Nittany Lions haven't dropped a game since falling at Minnesota.

It was a much different vibe surrounding the program Saturday after five straight victories, including at Michigan State earlier in the week.

Minnesota trailed 36-22 at halftime after shooting just 30% from the field. Oturu had 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting in the first half, but the rest of the starters had six points on 3-for-14 shooting, including 0 for 7 from beyond the arc.

The Nittany Lions surged ahead in the second half to lead 47-28 after two free throws from Dread. They led 54-35 following John Harrar's layup around the 14-minute mark before Carr took over for a stretch.

Carr exploded for 13 straight points during a 15-4 run for the Gophers, which included back-to-back 3s to make it 58-50.

Five minutes later, Carr connected with Alihan Demir on a pretty bounce pass in transition for a dunk to get within four points. The Gophers couldn't get any closer than three on the next possession.