UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State did more than clinch a tie for the Big Ten regular-season championship last night in the Bryce Jordan Center.

The Lions staked their claim as the best team in the conference by shattering the eighth-ranked and second-place Ohio State Buckeyes on the offensive glass during an 84-66 victory.

The mammoth 60-32 edge on the boards included 29 offensive rebounds that led to a 29-0 edge on second-chance points for No. 11 Penn State (22-5, 12-3). The Buckeyes (23-4, 10-4) showed no hops and no answers from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

“We didn’t compete on the boards,” coach Jim Foster said. “We didn’t compete at all. They just kicked our butts. That’s what happened.”

The unraveling began early with Penn State center Nikki Greene overpowering Ashley Adams for two field goals on her team’s first two possessions.

Mia Nickson then made her presence known for the Lions with a pair of three-point plays that began with her grabbing an offensive rebound. The two combined for 43 points and 30 rebounds.

“At some point in time, you get embarrassed,” Foster said. “At some point in time, you get competitive. At some point in time, you wake up to the challenge. And we did not.”

Greene entered the game averaging 9.3 points and 8.1 rebounds for the season. She finished the first half with a double-double of 16 points and 10 boards on the way to totals of 25 points and 15 rebounds. Nickson checked in at nine points and nine rebounds, and Penn State led 45-30. Nickson finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds.

“We thought we could get the ball inside,” Lions coach Coquese Washington said. “As the game continued, it seemed like they were open more often than not. Our posts got on a roll. We were going to keep throwing it inside until it didn’t work. It seemed to work the whole game.”

Penn State kept Ohio State’s top scorers, Tayler Hill and Samantha Prahalis, from ever finding a rhythm. The duo entered the game scoring a combined 41.1 points per game. They each scored 16 in the loss.

Prahalis, the Buckeyes’ point guard and only senior, assumed responsibility for the performance.

“It was terrible,” she said. “And honestly, I’m at the top of it. I took the blame because it was awful. I should have had us ready. Maybe I should have pulled a couple of the girls aside and said, ‘This is where we need to be tough right now.’ It’s just embarrassing.”

Foster tried all of his post players during the course of the game. Freshman Kalpana Beach scored 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting, but played only 17 minutes because of foul trouble.

Junior Emilee Harmon contributed five points and six rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench, but Foster wasn’t praising anyone.

“We have practice (today) at 9 in the morning,” he said. “We’re going to fix it. It is a mindset and a mentality. It will be different on Thursday (against Minnesota).”

Prahalis again assumed blame for poor board work.

“It’s partly the guards’ fault,” she said. “I should have gotten some rebounds. We took a beating inside. We let the beating happen. That’s what hurts. We just rolled over and that (stinks).

“I’m not going to forget this. You know what? We’ve still got March. We still have the tournament. Maybe we’ll see them again.”

jmassie@dispatch.com