Penn State retook the lead from the Rebels ahead of the first media timeout of the second half thanks to 3-pointers from Jermaine Marshall and Billy Oliver. Coming out of the timeout, Marshall kept his foot on the gas and earned a basket-and-one to give the Nittany Lions their biggest lead of the game at five, 42-28.

Another quick spurt, this one a 6-2 run stakes Penn State to a 48-40 lead with 13:16 remaining and forces Ole Miss to call timeout. Marshall and Sasa Borovnjak are both in double figures now with 10 points each. This is two-straight strong performances from Marshall, who started the season suspended by coach Patrick Chambers. It's also a nice effort from Borovnjak, still feeling the effects of his ACL injury last offseason.

After Penn State rushed out to the 8-point lead however, two quick baskets by Mississippi's Nick Williams slash the Ole Miss deficit to three, With 11:27 to play in the half, the Nittany Lions now lead 48-45.