Penn State made history to start its season by scoring more than 100 points in blowout wins over Binghamton and UMBC.
Now the Nittany Lions try to go 3-for-3 — not just in the win column but in reaching triple figures — on Tuesday night when they host St. Francis in University Park, Pa.
The key for Penn State has been its ability to score off turnovers. It has swiped the ball 28 times, leading to a 53-15 advantage in points off turnovers. The Nittany Lions also boast a 48-16 advantage in fast-break points.
“This is who we are and this is how we have to go about doing it,” said second-year Penn State coach Mike Rhoades. “The kids are confident in doing it. When you go out there, let your hair down and good things will happen.”
Northern Illinois transfer Yanic Konan Niederhauser led five players in double figures during Friday night’s 103-54 rout of UMBC, scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The Nittany Lions sank 55.2 percent of their field-goal attempts, including 10 of 23 3-pointers, and collected 21 assists.
Niederhauser and Zach Hicks are each averaging 17 ppg, with D’Marco Dunn supplying 14 ppg off the bench.
Meanwhile, St. Francis enters with a 1-2 mark after rallying from an 11-point halftime deficit Sunday for a 65-64 win at Campbell. Valentino Pinedo capped the comeback by hitting a foul shot with two seconds left for the last of his career-high 15 points.
“It was great to win a game early in the season where we didn’t fill up the stat sheet,” Red Flash coach Rob Krimmel said. “We played with more purpose and togetherness in the second half. We executed the game plan much better on both ends.”
Ace Talbert leads the team in scoring at 11.7 ppg through three games, while Bobby Rosenberger is chipping in 10 ppg.
Penn State has won the last six meetings in the series, including an 83-53 victory last season at home. St. Francis’ last win in the series came in 1978.
–Field Level Media
