Lamar Stevens scored 24 points to pace surging Penn State to a convincing 78-61 win over No. 17 Maryland on Wednesday night in University Park, Pa.

The Nittany Lions (12-16, 5-12 Big Ten) never trailed in beating Maryland at home for the third straight year. Penn State started 0-10 in conference play this season, including a 66-59 December loss at Maryland, but has now won three in a row and five of the past seven.

Freshman Myles Dread added 17 points for Penn State, which held Maryland to 41 percent shooting.

Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 15 points and became just the sixth Maryland player ever with over 1,300 points and 400 assists in a career.

The Terrapins (21-8, 12-6) took their second loss in the past six games. They still hope to finish in the conference's top four and earn a double bye in the Big Ten tournament, March 13-17 in Chicago.

Dread led Penn State with 15 first-half points as the hosts ran out to a 42-20 halftime lead, handing cold-shooting Maryland its largest halftime deficit of the season. The Nittany Lions held the Terrapins to 29.4 percent shooting before the break.

The Nittany Lions took control early, roaring out to a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. Rasir Bolton's short jumper capped an 11-0 run. Meanwhile, Maryland misfired often in a 1-for-9 shooting start.

Penn State led by as many as 29 points in the second half, the first time with 13:50 left on Myreon Jones' 3-pointer that made it 56-27. The Terrapins never got closer than 16 points. A 9-0 run by Maryland cut the gap to 66-50 with 6:04 left when Serrel Smith Jr. hit two free throws. A Stevens tip-in less than a minute later ended the spree.

The Terrapins, who have excelled defensively much of the season, still have not allowed more than 78 points in a game. Bruno Fernando saw his streak of 18 consecutive games in double figure scoring end, as he wound up with nine points and eight rebounds. Fernando had nine double-doubles in the previous 10 games.

Penn State plays at No. 19 Wisconsin on Saturday. Maryland hosts No. 9 Michigan on Sunday.

--Field Level Media