Nittany Lions Secure Best Start in 25 Years with 85-66 Win over FordhamNittany Lions Secure Best Start in 25 Years with 85-66 Win over Fordham

Nittany Lions Secure Best Start in 25 Years with 85-66 Win over Fordham

Penn State advances to Tuesday’s 4 p.m. Sunshine Slam Championship Game

Box Score

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Penn State men’s basketball team secured its first 6-0 start to a season in 25 years with a wire-to-wire 85-66 win over Fordham Monday afternoon. The Nittany Lions now advance to Tuesday’s 4 p.m. Sunshine Slam championship game to face Clemson  on CBS Sports Network.

Penn State is now 6-0 for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. The Nittany Lions shot 52.6 percent from the field vs. the Rams and owned a 21-8 edge in second-chance points.

Nick Kern Jr. led Penn State with his first career double-double, scoring a game-high 20 points and pulling down a career-best 13 rebounds. Zach Hicks followed with 16 points, while Puff Johnson added 15. Ace Baldwin Jr. finished with 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds, while Yanic Konan Niederhauser tallied 12 points and seven rebounds in just 14 minutes of action.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Zach Hicks scored the first five points of the game to help Penn State get out to an early 7-2 lead four minutes into the contest.
  • A Yanic Konan Niederhauser layup sparked a 9-0 Nittany Lion run from 15:13 to 12:37 as Penn State pulled ahead 16-4.
  • The Nittany Lions were up by as much as 13 at the 8:09 mark following a Freddie Dilione V layup. Fordham made its next seven field goal attempts as the Rams used the next four minutes to trim the Penn State advantage all the way down to four at 30-26 with 4:22 left on the first-half clock.
  • A Dilione V jumper ignited an 11-2 Penn State streak from 4:03 to 1:31 as the Nittany Lions held Fordham without a field goal for over four minutes and Penn State reclaimed a double-digit edge at 41-28.
  • The Rams scored six of the final seven points of the half, but the Nittany Lions carried a 42-34 lead into halftime.
  • Ace Baldwin Jr. scored six points in the first 3:44 of the second half as the Nittany Lion lead sat at 54-43 four minutes into the term.
  • Fordham was within seven points at 56-49 before a Hicks triple kicked off a 9-0 Penn State run over the next 3:09 and the Nittany Lions pulled ahead 65-49 with 11:06 to play.
  • The Penn State run reached 16-1 following four points from Kern Jr. and another Johnson triple as the Nittany Lion lead expanded to 22 at 72-50 with 9:33 left on the clock.
  • The Rams wouldn’t get closer than 15 the rest of the way as Penn State earned the wire-to-wire 85-66 win to advance to Tuesday’s Sunshine Slam championship game.

GAME NOTES

  • Penn State moves to 6-0 for the first time in 25 years (since the 1999-2000 season).
  • The Nittany Lions have scored 80+ points in six-straight games for the first time in program history.
  • Penn State has scored 40-plus points in the first half of five of its first six games this season, including a 42-point first-half performance against the Rams this evening.
  • The Nittany Lions had five scorers reach double-figures against the Rams, including three with 15-plus.
  • Nick Kern Jr. recorded the first double-double of his career. The senior posted a season-best 20 points, on an excellent 9-for-12 shooting night from the field, and added a career-high 13 rebounds.
  • Zach Hicks recorded his fifth double-figure scoring outing of the season with 16 points against the Rams.
  • Ace Baldwin Jr. posted 12 points, dished out seven assists, and collected a steal.

UP NEXT

  • The Nittany Lions advance to Tuesday’s Sunshine Slam championship game and will face Clemson. Tipoff of the championship contest is slated for 4 p.m. Tuesday on CBS Sports Network.

 

The 2024-25 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.