EVANSTON, Ill. - Jamelle Cornley had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Geary Claxton added 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Penn State to a 79-68 win over Northwestern on Wednesday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
Stanley Pringle added 17 points for Penn State, which outscored Northwestern 45-33 in the second half.
The loss spoiled the return of Kevin Coble, who missed the first nine games to be with his mom, Carlys, in Phoenix while she underwent treatment for cancer. Coble, a Big Ten All-Freshman selection last year after leading the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding, finished with 11 points.
Michael Thompson led Northwestern with 17 points and 10 assists, while Jason Okrzesik added 14 points.
After being held scoreless in the first half, Talor Battle sparked a 20-4 Penn State run to open the second half and turn the game into a rout.
Battle scored eight during the spurt, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Claxton hit a pair of free throws with 12:34 left to cap the stretch and give the Nittany Lions a 54-39 lead.
Northwestern led by as many as nine in the first half, but Penn State went on a 14-4 run midway through to keep it close. Claxton's jumper gave the Nittany Lions their first lead, 23-22 with 5:21 left.
Duquesne 96, Bowling Green 78: Reggie Jackson scored 19 points to lead Duquesne to a 96-78 win over Bowling Green on Wednesday night.
Jackson was 3-of-3 from behind the 3-point line. Kojo Mensah added 18, while Aaron Jackson and Kieron Achara each contributed 12 for Duquesne (10-3), which has won four straight.
Bowling Green (5-7) never held a lead in the game.
Otis Polk scored 17 for the Falcons, who had five players score in double figures. Nate Miller scored 15, Chris Night had 14, Brian Moten had 12 and Joe Jakubowski added 10.
Bowling Green committed 24 turnovers that led to 29 of Duquesne's points. The Falcons were also cold from behind the 3-point line, making only 4-of-17.
Women's result
La Roche 53, Waynesburg 42: Neither team shot higher than 39 percent but La Roche forced 22 turnovers and snapped a six-game losing streak to Waynesburg University with a 53-42 victory at Marisa Fieldhouse.
Lyndi Miloszewski scored a game-high 16 points for La Roche (9-2), who also got a three-pointer from Ringgold graduate Brittney Radic.
Elisha Jones led the Yellow Jackets (1-9) with 11 points and six rebounds. Marquis Demniak added 10 points.