Penn State Falls to Pitt in HersheyPenn State Falls to Pitt in Hershey

Penn State Falls to Pitt in Hershey

Nittany Lions, Panthers met in GIANT Center’s first NCAA Division I matchup all-time

Box Score

HERSHEY, Pa. – The Penn State men’s basketball team dropped an 80-46 decision to Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon at the GIANT Center in Hershey, Pa. The matchup was the first-ever NCAA Division I basketball game played inside the GIANT Center.

 

Redshirt junior Freddie Dilione V tied his career high with 23 points to lead the Nittany Lions. Freshman Kayden Mingo and senior Josh Reed followed with nine points apiece.

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Panthers started the game 5-for-8 from downtown while Penn State was 1-for-7 from behind the arc through the game’s first six minutes and Pitt owned a 15-6 edge with just under 14 minutes to play in the opening half.
  • Pitt used a 10-0 run to pull ahead 19-6 before a conventional three-point play from Freddie Dilione V and a pair of Josh Reed free throws helped the Nittany Lions trim the Panther lead to 21-11 at 11:15.
  • The Nittany Lions were still within 10 after another Dilione V basket at the 10:36 mark, but Pitt answered with the next two buckets to put Penn State in a 27-13 hole and force a Nittany Lion timeout with 8:43 to play in the first half.
  • Penn State’s shooting remained cold for the remainder of the opening term as the Panthers worked their lead to 20 at 40-20 heading into halftime.
  • The Nittany Lions used a strong defensive effort to hold Pitt scoreless for five and a half minutes early in the second half as Penn State was able to string together eight-straight points and trim the Panther lead down to 13 at 41-28 with 14:20 to play.
  • Penn State was as close as 12 following a Kayden Mingo layup at 13:40, but Pitt responded with a 14-4 run over the next four minutes to give the Panthers a 56-34 lead with 8:40 left.
  • The Nittany Lions were never able to recover as Pitt picked up the 80-46 win.

 

GAME NOTES

  • Penn State moved to 8-4 overall with one non-conference game remaining before the return to Big Ten Conference competition, while Pittsburgh improved to 7-6 overall.
  • The teams met for the 149th time ever in an all-time series that dates back to 1906. Sunday’s matchup was the first-ever NCAA Division I men’s basketball game played inside Hershey’s GIANT Center.
  • Redshirt junior guard Freddie Dilione V matched his career high in scoring with 23 points, mirroring his scoring total against Michigan State on December 13. Dilione V led Penn State in scoring for the fourth time in the 2025-26 season.
  • Dilione V set a career high with 10 made field goals on 17 attempts, pouring in a pair of makes from beyond the arc as well.
  • Dilione V and freshman forward Tibor Mirtič finished with six rebounds apiece to lead all Nittany Lions. Dilione V led PSU for the fifth time in that statistic this season, while Mirtič joined him for the third time.
  • Freshman guard Kayden Mingo had nine points with a team-leading five assists. Mingo led PSU in assists for the eighth time this season.
  • Freshman forward Justin Houser played a career-high 13 minutes against the Panthers, mustering career-best marks in scoring (five), field goals made (two) and blocks (one).
  • Penn State utilized the starting lineup of Jurić, Mingo, Stewart, Tunca and Reed for the fifth-straight game, moving to 2-3 as a starting unit.

 

UP NEXT

  • Penn State will take a brief break for the holidays before returning to action in the non-conference finale against NC Central on Monday, Dec. 29. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. on Big Ten Network. Kids 12 and under will be admitted for free with the purchase of an adult ticket from this link.