The start of the new college basketball season is just about here, and the Penn State Nittany Lions are looking to surprise many this year. The second season under head coach Mike Rhoades unofficially got underway Friday night with a charity exhibition game against Lafayette on the campus of Lebanon Valley College, Rhoades’ alma mater. Penn State came out on top of the Leopards by a final score of 79-64 with Ace Baldwin Jr. scoring 11 points, nine assists and two steals.
Penn State was led by Yanic Konan Niederhauser’s 15-point night, which also included five rebounds and four blocks. D’Marco Dunn added 13 points and hit all three of his three-point attempts.
Penn State jumped out to an early lead before Lafayette cut things down to a one-point game but the Nittany Lions went on an 11-0 run fueled by a Puff Johnson three-pointer. Penn State led 38-31 at halftime and used a 22-9 run led by Baldwin Jr’s three-point shooting to pull away in the second half for the exhibition win.
Penn State is expected by many in the Big Ten media to finish toward the bottom of the conference this season. The Nittany Lions, in their first year under Rhoades, went 16-17 last season, with a Big Ten record of 9-11. Penn State won its first-round matchup in the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament against Michigan before dropping a close game against Indiana in the second round. After their Big Ten exit, Penn State did not play in a postseason tournament.
Penn State men’s basketball officially begins its 2024-25 season on Monday, Nov. 4 with a home game against Binghampton in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
