Penn State (11-4) used the eight-day break following its upset loss to Rider to its advantage, destroying the winless Coppin State Eagles (0-15) with ease 88-43.

Tony Carr and Josh Reaves led the way with 21 and 12 points, respectively. The Nittany Lions turned in a phenomenal performance from beyond the arc, making 14 of 28 three-point attempts on the day, as eight different players made a 3. Meanwhile, the defense forced 18 Coppin State turnovers.

This was Penn State’s largest margin of victory since it defeated Gardner Webb by 47 points (104-57) in 2009.

How It Happened

The game was never really close, as the Nittany Lions were up double digits by the first media timeout. Just six and a half minutes into the game, Shep Garner’s first 3-pointer allowed Penn State to triple up the Eagles at 21-7. The Nittany Lions went a bit cold after that, going 4:15 without making a field goal. Luckily, the defense strapped down Coppin State, as the Eagles also went 4:18 without making a shot from the field.

Two threes from Nazeer Bostick and another Garner deep ball stretched Penn State’s lead to 32-13. On Bostick’s second three, the play was blown dead after the made shot and a double technical was issued to Bostick and Mike Watkins. Bostick was whistled for taunting the Eagles’ bench, while Watkins apparently argued with the referee going down the floor after the call. This isn’t surprising, as Rider players mentioned that Bostick said that the game would “be over in 10 minutes,” even though Penn State eventually lost.

Despite the distratction, Carr decided it was time to heat up. Back-to-back buckets for the sophomore gave Penn State a 36-16 lead, and brought his point total to 12 on the day with just over six minutes left in the half. The Nittany Lions took a 43-23 lead into the break after forcing nine Coppin State turnovers in the half, while turning the ball over just twice on the other end of the floor.

Penn State began the second half with a smoking hot start, dialing up a 31-2 run. Watkins’ emphatic and-one slam made the score 65-28 with just over 14 minutes left to play. Josh Reaves nailed a 3-pointer at the 13-minute mark to extend the lead to 72-28. The Nittany Lions hit their first five 3-point attempts of the period.

Coppin State went a full 10-minute stretch without making a shot from the field, and shot just 6 of 23 from the field after halftime. The Nittany Lions were able to force nine turnovers in the half. Reaves and Jamari Wheeler combined for eight steals in the game.

Player Of The Game

Tony Carr | Sophomore | Guard

Penn State’s star player turned in a solid performance from the start, as he racked up 15 points in the first half of this contest. The Roman Catholic product ended up with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting in just 18 minutes of game action.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions travel to College Park on Tuesday night to face off with the Maryland Terrapins. That game will tip-off at 7 p.m., and will be broadcast on BTN.