Penn State men’s basketball (8-4, 0-2 Big Ten) took care of business with a 90-67 win against North Carolina Central (4-10, 0-0 MEAC) in its final non-conference game of the season on Monday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Kayden Mingo and Eli Rice led the way in scoring for Penn State; the two starters combined for 37 points in the win. Three other Nittany Lions reached double figures in points on the day.

How It Happened

Mike Rhoades switched up his usual starting lineup against the Eagles, going with Mingo, Freddie Dilione V, Ivan Jurić, Eli, and Josh Reed. Dilione started the scoring for Penn State with a deep three-pointer as the shot clock expired on the Nittany Lions. N.C. Central responded with three straight baskets on the other end of the court.

Mingo stopped the scoring drought with his first triple of the game, and Penn State trailed 9-6 at the first media timeout. The Nittany Lions hoisted deep triple after deep triple coming out of the break, but could not connect early in the game from distance. The Eagles extended their lead over Rhoades’ young team, leading 15-6 with 13 minutes left in the first half.

Dilione converted two free throws at the charity stripe after Mingo forced back-to-back turnovers, and Penn State was back within six points. Rice made it a one-possession game by drilling a three-pointer with 10 minutes to play, forcing an N.C. Central timeout. A few possessions later, Rice hit another triple from the wing to give the blue and white their first lead.

Mingo continued to show why he is so special, recording four steals in the first 12 minutes of the game and turning defense into offense for his Nittany Lions. Penn State led 23-19 with eight minutes to play in the first half. Rice knocked down two more three-pointers out of the timeout, and before you knew it, the Eagles trailed by eight points.

Dominick Stewart got in on the scoring with a made shot from distance of his own to extend the lead to 10 points. N.C. Central battled back in the final minutes of the opening frame. Khouri Carvey led the way to a 6-0 Eagle run before Dilione stopped it with a two-pointer. Failing to keep its sizable lead, Penn State only went into the break with a 36-33 lead.

Penn State jumped out of the second half on fire, led by its star freshman Mingo. The Nittany Lions had their largest lead of the game so far at the first timeout, 46-35. The Eagles would not go away easily, scoring two quick buckets out of the timeout.

3-for-4 from deep @_kaydenmingo #WeAre | : Big Ten Network pic.twitter.com/7DGBvdGyc8

— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) December 29, 2025

Justin Houser saw some game action inside for the Nittany Lions, and the Eagles used his inexperience to their advantage to grab a few points in the paint. Melih Tunca answered, converting the and-one at the rim for his first points of the afternoon. Tunca doubled his total, knocking down a triple in front of his bench.

Stewart and Tunca took over the game through the next five minutes of game action, trading threes and turning turnovers into easy layups for Penn State. The Nittany Lions held a 65-47 advantage over N.C. Central with 11:03 to play. Stewart hit two more free throws after a timeout to build the lead.

The Eagles bounced back with a quick 7-0 run before Mingo stalled the momentum with a crafty layup, followed by another steal on the full-court pressure. Tunca kept his second half rolling with another and-one from the freshman combo guard. Mason Blackwood showed his length on the defensive end and got a steal and turned it into a layup for his first points of the game with under four minutes to go.

N.C. Central kept fighting in the minutes of the game, but Penn State’s offense was too much for the Eagles as the Nittany Lions continued to pull away. The Nittany Lions wrapped up non-conference play with a 90-67 win

Takeaways

• With the offense struggling to begin the game, Penn State turned up its defense to get the offense rolling, led by Kayden Mingo’s four steals in the first 12 minutes of the first half.
• Penn State continues to struggle in the first half. The Nittany Lions trailed by as many as 11 points to the Eagles early and only led by three points at halftime. And against a team that only has four wins and is a low mid-major, it’s unacceptable to start the game in that manner.
• It was a game of runs by both teams at the Bryce Jordan Center. Momentum was a huge factor in how the game played out, with N.C. Central going on the first scoring run of the game, but Penn State closed it out in the second half.

What’s Next?

Penn State will host No. 20 Illinois in its annual game at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 3. The Nittany Lions will take on the Illini on the Big Ten Network.