With his cousin rapper Flavor Flav cheering loudly from the third row, Shep Garner scored seven of Penn State’s 16 points in overtime Wednesday, leading the Nittany Lions to a 76-67 victory over Nebraska in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament.
Nebraska coach Tim Miles got good news when Husker Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst tweeted after the game that he was looking forward to having Miles back next season.
Penn State (15-17) never trailed and ended a five-game losing streak.
The 13th-seeded Nittany Lions advanced to face Michigan State in the second round.
Garner finished with 16 points, and freshman Mike Watkins had 18 points, 11 rebounds and a Big Ten Tournament-record eight blocked shots.
Evan Taylor led 12th-seeded Nebraska (12-19) with 15 points. But the Cornhuskers’ top scorer, senior guard Tai Webster, shot 4 for 16 and fouled out in OT with 12 points, only two after halftime.
Nebraska made only 34 percent of its shots.
