The Penn State men’s basketball team continued its strong start to the season with a victory over the UMBC Retrievers. The Nittany Lions scored 100-plus points for the second straight game, beating UMBC 103-54 Friday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.
In the season opener, Penn State scored 108 points against Binghamton and followed that performance by scoring 103 points against the Retrievers. This marked the first time in program history that Penn State scored 100-plus points in back-to-back games.
Eleven Nittany Lions scored, including five players in double figures. It was a balanced team effort with six bench players scoring. Penn State shot 55.2 percent from the field and an impressive 43.5 percent from 3-point range. The Penn State offense also assisted on 21 of their 37 field goals.
Northern Illinois transfer Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 18 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. D’Marco Dunn added 16 points, while Zach Hicks scored 12.
Penn State dominated the paint during the first half, scoring 28 of its 43 points inside. In the second half, PSU separated from UMBC by shooting a sizzling 60 percent from 3-point range, knocking down 9 of 15 from 3-point range. Freshman guard Jahvin Carterwas part of the 3-point barrage, hitting all three of his 3-pointers while tallying a season-best 12 points.
The Nittany Lions will host Saint Francis (Pa.) on Tuesday night before they head on the road. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. on Peacock.
