Penn State 78, Akron 72: D.J. Newbill registered 29 points, five rebounds and five assists as the Nittany Lions came from behind to defeat the visiting Zips.

Newbill made 8-of-12 from the field and 12-of-15 from the foul line for Penn State (5-1). Brandon Taylor hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 points to go with seven rebounds and Geno Thorpe added 10 points for the Nittany Lions.

Noah Robotham notched 18 points and Deji Ibitayo had 17 off the bench for Akron (3-2). Pat Forsythe supplied 12 points and nine rebounds and Reggie McAdams and Kwan Cheatham, Jr. had nine points apiece for the Zips.

While Penn State seemed to rely almost exclusively on Newbill for most of the first half, Akron had several weapons at its disposal, including Nyles Evans and McAdams, whose early 3-pointers staked the Zips to an 8-0 lead. At one point, Newbill had 11 of 14 points for the Nittany Lions, who trailed 23-14 midway through the period before going on to face a 45-32 deficit at halftime.

By taking the ball to the basket for eight points early in the second half, the Nittany Lions opened things up for Taylor, who drained back-to-back 3-pointers to give Penn State its first lead at 47-45 with just over 14 minutes left. Akron briefly got the lead back by scoring seven straight points, including five by Robotham, but baskets from Newbill and John Johnson gave the Nittany Lions the lead for good with eight minutes left, but not without the Zips getting to within two points in the final minute.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Akron, which shot 58.6 percent from the field and 5-of-12 from 3-point range in the opening stanza, had six players with at least five points in the first half. ... The teams combined to go 35-of-43 from the foul line, including 16-of-17 by the Zips. ... Newbill and Taylor accounted for 20 of Penn State's 32 points in the first half.