UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men’s basketball team was firing on all cylinders in its 2024-25 debut as the Nittany Lions cruised to a dominant 108-66 season-opening win over Binghamton Monday night inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State’s 108 points are tied for the fourth-most in a single-game in program history. It marks Penn State’s first 100-plus point game since 2017 when the Nittany Lions scored 102 in triple overtime at Indiana. It’s Penn State first 100-plus point effort in a regulation game since 2009.
The Nittany Lions shot 50.7 percent (35-for-69) from the field and 41.9 percent (13-for-31) from 3-point range while adding 25 points from the free throw line. Defensively, Penn State collected 16 steals and scored 31 points off of 21 Binghamton turnovers.
Zach Hicks led all scorers with 22 points behind a 9-for-12 effort from the floor and also grabbed a team-high tying seven rebounds. Yanic Konan Niederhauser finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in his Penn State debut. Ace Baldwin Jr. tallied 15 points and four assists, while D’Marco Dunn added 12 points. Freddie Dilione V and Dominick Stewart rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Nittany Lions got out to a 7-2 lead just under three minutes into the game behind baskets from Hicks, Konan Niederhauser and Baldwin Jr.
- Binghamton knotted the score at 7, but Penn State responded with a 9-2 run capped by back-to-back Konan Niederhauser dunks to put the score at 16-9 with 11:16 left in the first half.
- A D’Marco Dunn triple sparked an 11-0 run over just 1:20 as the Nittany Lions stretched their lead to 15 at 27-12 with 8:48 on the clock.
- The 11-0 streak served as the front end of a stifling 27-5 run over a 6:21 stretch as seven different Nittany Lions scored and Penn State’s lead reached 26 at 43-17 with 3:47 to play in the opening term.
- The Nittany Lions finished the half having scored 22 points off 14 Binghamton turnovers as Penn State went into the locker room ahead 54-23.
- Penn State came out of the half on fire, making six of its first seven shots, including three triples, to take a 69-32 lead just over three minutes into the second term.
- A Puff Johnson triple sparked seven-straight Penn State points to give the Nittany Lions a 40-point lead, their largest lead yet, at 81-41at the 10:45 mark.
- Penn State’s foot stayed on the gas the rest of the way as a Jahvin Carter layup at the 3:18 mark put the Nittany Lions past the 100-point plateau and Penn State cruised to the 108-66 win.
GAME NOTES
- Penn State’s 108 points are tied for the fourth-most in a single game in program history.
- The 108-point effort marked the 22nd 100-point game in program history and first since Feb. 1, 2017 when Penn State scored 102 in a 3OT game at Indiana. It was Penn State’s first 100-point effort in regulation since 2009 (vs. Gardner-Webb on Dec. 19, 2009).
- The 42-point margin of victory is Penn State’s seventh-largest in program history.
- Penn State won its season opener for the eighth-straight year.
- Penn State’s 16 steals were its most since tallying 18 steals on Nov. 28, 2020 vs. VMI.
- The Nittany Lions held a 30-9 edge in second-chance points, 31-7 advantage in points scored off of turnovers, and 25-8 edge in fastbreak points.
- Six Nittany Lions scored 10+ points, marking the first time since Dec. 6, 2020 (vs. Seton Hall) that six players finished in double figures.
- Zach Hicks had his highest scoring effort in a Penn State uniform with his 22-point performance. He finished 9-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 from deep.
- Yanic Konan Niederhauser finished with 16 points, eight of which came from the free throw line, and seven rebounds in his Penn State debut.
- Ace Baldwin Jr. was 5-for-8 from the field and 4-for-5 from 3-point range en route to his 15-point effort.
- Konan Niederhauser (16 points), Freddie Dilione V (10 points) and Dominick Stewart (10 points) all finished in double figures in their debuts in the Blue & White.
- Ten different Nittany Lions scored, while all 12 dressed players saw playing time.
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions continue their season-opening homestand Friday night when Penn State hosts UMBC. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
The 2024-25 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.