Carr and Josh Reaves hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the final three minutes, and the Nittany Lions closed out the Wildcats with a 15-5 run. Reaves finished with 15 points.

Penn State (20-12) will face No. 13 Ohio State on Friday in a Big Ten tournament quarterfinal. The Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes twice this season. They'll need at least a third win over Ohio State to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Dererk Pardon scored 14 points, and Scottie Lindsey added 12 points for the Wildcats (15-17), who reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history last season.

Shep Garner scored 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers early in the second half that helped Penn State build a 39-32 lead.

Northwestern wouldn't go away and regained the lead midway through the second half before fading down the stretch.

Carr had a big first half, but took a while to get going after intermission. He didn't score in the second half until hitting a jumper that tied the score 50-50 with seven minutes to play.

Three minutes later, Carr hit his fifth 3-pointer to give the Nittany Lions a 55-54 lead.

Carr hit a 3-pointer that put Penn State in front 19-16 with 8:52 left in the first half. The Nittany Lions were scoreless for the next four minutes, and Northwestern took advantage.

A Barret Benson layup capped an 11-1 run for the Wildcats, who led 27-20 with four minutes left in the half. Carr led Penn State back, knocking down his fourth 3-pointer of the half in the final minutes.

The game was tied 30-30 at halftime. Carr had 15 of Penn State's 30 points in the first half.

Both teams were missing key players. Penn State forward Mike Watkins is out for the entire tournament with a knee injury. Northwestern forward Vic Law sat out his third straight game with a toe injury.

--Field Level Media