EVANSTON, Ill. — Struggling Penn State found a way to win for the second time in three games on Thursday night.

That the Nittany Lions’ 66-59 victory came over slumping Northwestern didn’t matter at all. It was bouncing back from a tough loss at Minnesota that mattered.

“After losing to Minnesota the way we did, human nature sets in,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. “We were down 16-0 there.”

That made taking a 12-0 lead on Northwestern all the more important.

“It started with our defense,” said D.J. Newbill, who along with Jermaine Marshall led the Lions with 18 points Thursday. “We got (five) turnovers early and then were able to get out and get some good shots on offense. Our defense got us running.”

Penn State (10-19, 2-15 Big Ten), last in the 12-team conference, withstood a Northwestern surge to pull away in the second half, ending a 17-game road Big Ten losing streak that dated to March 6, 2011 at Minnesota. The Nittany Lions’ only other conference win this season was at home against No. 7 Michigan on Feb. 27.

Northwestern (13-17, 4-13) has lost seven in a row and nine of its last 10.

Alex Marcotullio, who scored a career-high 22 points, put the Wildcats ahead 54-53 with a 3-pointer with 6:13 to play. But Penn State scored the next six points.