Penn State men’s basketball (3-0) took down Saint Francis (1-3) 92-62 in the Bryce Jordan Center Tuesday night after a dominant second-half showing.

After a tight first half, the Nittany Lions outscored the Red Flash 47-24 in the last 20 minutes en route to a third straight victory to open the season. Four players scored in double figures, led by Puff Johnson’s career-high 20 and Ace Baldwin Jr.’s 16 points.

How It Happened

With his team rocking gray alternate uniforms, Mike Rhoades rolled out a starting lineup of Baldwin, Freddie Dilione V, Johnson, Zach Hicks, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser.

Penn State won the opening tip, and Baldwin immediately found Konan Niederhauser for a one-handed slam off the alley-oop.

Penn State’s offense on the attack early. #B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/OvMcziD8Fi

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 13, 2024

Hicks, the team’s leading scorer through the first two games, got on the board shortly after with a straightaway three, and Baldwin followed it up with a triple of his own to extend the early lead to 8-0.

After a couple misses in the paint by the Red Flash, Johnson hit the Nittany Lions’ third straight shot from distance to force a Saint Francis timeout. Out of the break, Bobby Rosenberger scored the first points of the night for Saint Francis at the foul line.

Following the first media timeout, Kachi Nzeh had his dunk attempt stuffed by Valentino Pinedo, and he laid it in on the other end, while Nick Kern Jr. got on the board with a layup on the ensuing possession.

Jeremy Clayville knocked down a corner three to trim the Penn State lead to six, but D’Marco Dunn quickly went coast to coast for an and-one. Clayville then hit a transition three before a finger roll through traffic by Dominick Stewart made it 18-11.

Looking for Nzeh on a pick-and-roll, Baldwin lobbed it off the rim and out of bounds, sending the game to the under-12 media timeout. A spin in the post and score by Kern resumed play and made it a nine-point Penn State advantage.

On the other side of the floor, Ace Talbert hit a left-wing three as the shot clock winded down for his first make of four attempts from beyond the arc, while Stewart answered with the Nittany Lions’ fourth three.

Daemar Kelly finished at the rim through a foul, making the free throw for a three-point play before Johnson put in a baseline midrange jumper. However, Talbert drilled a corner three to cut the Penn State lead to 25-22.

Jahvin Carter regained momentum for the blue and white when he scored his first two points of the night, but a Rosenberger spin and left-handed layup made it a three-point game once again heading into a media timeout.

Kern had two straight steals out of the timeout, one setting up a Zach Hicks layup and the other leading to a missed Baldwin three. Kelly then canned a three to make it 29-27 Penn State.

After missing the first two games with an injury, Nebraska transfer Eli Rice checked in for the first time as a Nittany Lion, but missed his first shot from the corner.

Riley Parker rejected a Baldwin underhand layup and the outlet resulted in a Juan Cranford Jr. layup, making it 31-29. Baldwin and Cranford then went back and forth with scores before Kelly hit a jumper from the free throw line, giving Saint Francis its first lead of the game at 34-33.

Johnson put the Nittany Lions back in front with a solo 6-0 run courtesy of a three-pointer and an and-one. Rosenberger went 2-for-2 at the stripe after being fouled by Dunn, but Baldwin floated it in as the clock neared one minute remaining in the half.

Puff Johnson with 5 points in just 13 SECONDS! #B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/pR4jdkPLMn

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 13, 2024

On the next possession, Baldwin was left alone on the wing for a three, while Stewart was fouled going up for a dunk, prompting Rhoades to yell from the bench, “Two hands, that’s a three-point play,” before Stewart went 1-for-2 on his foul shots.

Baldwin’s long triple as the clock expired rattled around the rim and out, sending the game to halftime with Penn State leading 45-38.

It was a back-and-forth start to the second half with a three and two by each team to make it 52-45 two minutes in. Baldwin knocked down a pair of free throws, then Johnson banked in a layup off a feed from Konan Niederhauser, making it a double-digit Penn State lead.

Rosenberger’s layup over Konan Niederhauser was answered by a Johnson triple and a two-handed flush through a foul by Konan Niederhauser. Baldwin then forced a turnover and found Dilione with an outlet pass for a fast break layup to make it 64-49, forcing a Red Flash timeout.

A Konan Niederhauser block off the glass ended up in the hands of Clayville for another three, but Dilione scored a layup and fed Johnson for one, making it 70-52 with a 14-3 run heading into the under-12 timeout.

It took over two minutes for the next basket, but Dunn eventually dropped in a layup off the glass following a euro step through the paint. Stewart then took a steal down the floor and elevated for a slam and Dunn swished in a wing three, making it 77-52 Penn State.

The Nittany Lions continued their defensive pressure and scoring in a variety of ways, heading into the final media timeout with an 82-55 advantage. A couple of minutes later, Nzeh scored two straight buckets down low after fighting for several offensive rebounds, making it 90-60.

Miles Webb made two foul shots before Nzeh slammed two more points in the closing seconds, and Penn State dribbled out a 92-62 win.

Takeaways

• Despite his six turnovers, Baldwin took control of the Nittany Lion offense with 16 points and six assists.
• Johnson had his best outing of the season so far, scoring 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field and showing off the physicality he added over the offseason.
• The Penn State defense continued to wreak havoc, taking away 17 steals and forcing 24 Saint Francis turnovers.

What’s Next?

Penn State will head to Baltimore, Maryland, to face Virginia Tech in the Hall of Fame Series at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 15, at CFG Bank Arena.