Penn State men’s basketball (2-0) defeated UMBC (1-1) 103-54 in its second game of the year Friday evening. It was former Penn State head coach Jim Ferry’s first time back in Happy Valley as the head man of UMBC.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser led the charge for the Nittany Lions with 18 points and nine rebounds. D’Marco Dunn added 16 points off the bench for Mike Rhoades. It was the first time in Penn State men’s basketball history that it scored over 100 points in back-to-back games.

How It Happened

Both teams started the game missing three-point attempts on their first trips up the floor. Konan Niederhauser finally took the lid on the basket with an easy put-back layup a few minutes in. Freddie Dilione V extended the Nittany Lions’ lead with a layup in transition while also getting fouled.

Ace Valentine made one of two shots at the foul line after being fouled by D’Marco Dunn. Penn State led the Retrievers 7-3 after the first media timeout. Out of the break, Dunn made two shots at the line and the Nittany Lions brought out its full-court press after the made basket.

Dunn added two more points to his total off a baseline drive and a tough finish at the rim. Dominick Stewart committed a turnover shortly after checking into the game that allowed UMBC to capitalize on an easy bucket. A few plays later, Ace Baldwin Jr., made his presence known on the defensive end by forcing a turnover and finding Nick Kern Jr. in the paint for another layup.

Jim Ferry was forced to call a timeout to stop a Nittany Lions’ mini 6-0 scoring run. The timeout worked as Bryce Johnson knocked down a triple in front of Penn State’s bench on the first possession out of the break. The blue and white struggled to grab a rebound on the defensive end, and UMBC had three chances to cut into the deficit but the Retrievers could not connect from behind the arc before the under-twelve timeout.

Devan Sapp hit a wide-open three-pointer right out of the stoppage of play to cut it to a 19-10 Penn State advantage with over 10 minutes to play in the first half. Konan Niederhauser responded for the Nittany Lions with an and-one on the next play.

UMBC finally found its rhythm offensively, the Retrievers connected on back-to-back three-pointers en route to an 8-0 scoring run. After putting on a shooting clinic in the season opener against Binghamton, Zach Hicks made his first triple of the evening with a little over six minutes to play in the opening half. After Penn State stretched its lead to double digits again, the Retrievers battled back to go on another mini-scoring run.

At the final media timeout of the first half, the Nittany Lions led 35-24. Kern lost his defender and found himself in front of the rim for an easy layup on one end and Konan Niederhauser came up with his second block of the half on the other end.

Dunn went back to work inside the paint a few possessions later, but Marcus Banks Jr. responded for UMBC on the other end. Kern ended the first half with a block at the buzzer. Penn State went to the locker room with a 43-28 lead over the Retrievers.

Puff Johnson started the second half with a bang, hitting a corner three-pointer on the first possession. Baldwin could not connect on a shot from behind the arc a few plays later and the Nittany Lions’ momentum stalled. Johnson got things rolling again with a left-handed layup off a set, and Penn State’s lead expanded to 50-28.

Over the next few minutes, both teams struggled to find any rhythm offensively. After the under-sixteen timeout, Hicks drilled a triple from behind the arc. Konan Niederhauser hung on the rim after a putback dunk to get the Bryce Jordan Center crowd on its feet. Sapp drilled a three-pointer to silence the crowd for UMBC on the next possession.

Dunn drilled a three-pointer from the right wing to force a UMBC timeout with the Nittany Lions leading by 30 points. Out of the short timeout, Stewart threw down the first dunk of his collegiate career after grabbing a steal at half-court. Niederhauser joined the above-the-rim party with another dunk of his own after the second media timeout.

Stewart added to his impressive second half with his first triple of the game to make it a 73-41 ballgame with under 10 minutes left in the game. Jahvin Carter got his first points of the evening at the foul line right before Stewart and Kern went back-to-back in transition to bring the Bryce Jordan Center to its feet.

Carter joined in on the fun, driving to the basket and finishing off the glass for his first made field goal. Bryce Johnson answered for the Retrievers on the other end of the court. Dunn showed off his range, drilling a top-of-the-key three to add to his total off the bench. Hicks went back-to-back with Dunn and the Nittany Lions led 89-48.

Carter hit his first two three-pointers of his career on back-to-back possessions after going 0-5 from behind the arc in the last game. Joe Sedora and Hudson Ward checked into the game for the first time with under three minutes to play. Carter hit a last-minute triple to get himself into double digits and Penn State over 100 points for the second straight game.

Sedora earned his first points of his career in the ending seconds of the game. The Nittany Lions took care of business against UMBC, 103-54.

Takeaways

• Yanic Konan Niederhauser has been a dominant force as Rhoades’ big man through two games this season. The Northern Illinois transfer added 18 points and nine rebounds tonight. Mike Rhoades looks to have found his center for the future.
• The Nittany Lions started slow once again. It should be an easy fix moving forward, but one of the few things the team could improve on as of right now.
• This year’s Penn State team has depth it hasn’t had in years. Five different Nittany Lions reached double digits against the Retrievers. Once Big Ten play comes around it could be a huge advantage for the blue and white.

What’s Next?

Penn State will be back in action at home against Saint Francis at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 12. The game will be broadcast on Peacock.