Talor Battle made seven 3-pointers, including the go-ahead basket en route to 28 points as host Penn State picked up a must-win over slumping Minnesota 66-63 on Thursday.

The Nittany Lions (14-11, 7-7 Big Ten) squandered a 10-point lead with 10 minutes left, but recovered to improve to 6-2 at home in the Big Ten and keep their NCAA Tournament at-large hopes alive.

The Lions can force a hard look by the committee with an impressive finish against Wisconsin, Ohio State, Northwestern and Minnesota again.

Blake Hoffarber scored 18 points and Trevor Mbakwe recorded his Big-Ten leading 15th double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota (17-9, 6-8), which has dropped five of six and will have to start worrying about its place in the Tournament.

Battle, who is only the second Big Ten player in the last decade to reach 2,000 career points, drained a wide-open 3-pointer from the left wing out of excellent ball movement to provide Penn State a 62-60 edge with 1:15 to go.

The Lions’ man-to-man defense forced a travel by Austin Hollins with 37 seconds left and Penn State salted away the game at the line. The Gophers had one last chance to tie, but Hoffarber’s off-balance 3-pointer as time expired didn’t draw iron.

Battle finished 7 of 14 from 3-point range and made his lone two-point attempt, and David Jackson chipped in 13 points for Penn State, which was outrebounded 31-20 but committed only five turnovers and made 12 3-pointers.