Pickett leads Penn State past Minnesota in Big Ten tourney

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jalen Pickett hit three 3-pointers on his way to 22 points and Penn State defeated Minnesota 60-51 in the first round of the Big Ten Conference tournament. Penn State (13-16), the 11th seed, took its first lead of the second half at 33-32 on a 3-pointer by Seth Lundy with 16:32 remaining. Jamison Battle sank two free throws to get the 14th-seeded Golden Gophers (13-17) within 51-47 with 6:39 left, but Pickett answered with a 3-pointer.Eric Curry had a rebound basket to cut Minnesota’s deficit to five with 4:13 to go, but John Harrar had a layup, Pickett hit a jumper and Sam Sessoms made two foul shots in a 6-0 run to wrap up the win for the Nittany Lions. PSU advances to play No. 6 seed Ohio State in the quarterfinals on Thursday.