UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Powered by freshman guard Kayden Mingo’s second collegiate 20-plus-point performance, the Penn State men’s basketball team improved to 8-1 on the season and 6-0 at home with an 87-76 victory over the Campbell Fighting Camels on Tuesday night inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
PSU improved to 8-1 or better through the first nine games of the season for the second year in a row, marking the first instance of consecutive 8-1 starts since doing so in back-to-back years in 1994-95 and 1995-96. Penn State also extended its streak of consecutive non-conference victories inside the Bryce Jordan Center to 15, with the last loss to a non-conference foe in Happy Valley coming on December 2, 2023.
Mingo’s 21-point performance led a four-man group of 15-plus-point scorers in Tuesday night’s contest. PSU saw four student-athletes score 15 points or more in a game for the first time this season. Mingo, a native of Farmingdale, New York, shot 8-for-15 from the floor and added three rebounds, four assists and three steals following his program-record-tying performance in that statistic last Saturday against Sacred Heart. Redshirt junior guard Freddie Dilione V returned to the double-figure scoring list with 17 points on an ultra-efficient 6-for-8 night from the floor, freshman forward Ivan Jurić poured in 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting and senior forward Josh Reed mustered 16 points on a 5-for-6 night from the field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Campbell gained control of the opening tip, but suffocating defense from the Nittany Lions forced a shot clock violation on the Fighting Camels’ opening possession. Campbell logged the game’s first points their next trip down the floor, but an and-one from Mingo gave the Blue & White an early 3-2 edge. Both squads exchanged blows over the following three minutes, but a steal and breakaway layup from Mingo helped guide PSU to an 8-6 lead at the game’s first media break.
- Strong defensive effort continued to be a theme for the Nittany Lions, with Penn State forcing its second shot clock violation of the contest on the other side of the media timeout. The Fighting Camels got hot beyond the arc with a trio of makes in relatively quick succession, culminating in a 19-14 Campbell advantage at the 10:57 mark of the first half. From there, Penn State capitalized on an impressive spin move from Tibor Mirtič to kick off an 8-0 scoring run that propelled the home side to a one-point lead at 20-19.
- Back-to-back buckets from Melih Tunca and Sasa Ciani followed by a turnaround jumper from Dilione V saw the Nittany Lions work ahead by a six-point differential just before Campbell answered back with another 3-pointer. The Fighting Camels were able to pull back within one point of the lead and ultimately re-took the lead at 29-28 with 3:44 remaining in the opening frame thanks to a fastbreak layup following a PSU turnover.
- Down the stretch in the opening period of play, the Blue & White were able to regroup and generate substantial momentum over the final two-and-a-half minutes. A pair of makes at the charity stripe from Jurić kicked off a 6-0 Penn State run that was bolstered by fastbreak points from Mingo and Reed. Campbell continued to battle as the first half ticked away, but a 3-pointer from Dilione V and a buzzer-beating right-corner triple from Reed gave Penn State at 46-39 lead through 20 minutes.
- Campbell got the second half of play underway with an offensive rebound and tip-in bucket, but a personal 4-0 reply from Jurić helped keep the Blue & White ahead by nine. The Fighting Camels replied with an and-one bucket, but a triple from Dominick Stewart and pair of makes at the charity stripe from Reed pushed the Nittany Lion lead to double figures for the first time on Tuesday night at 55-44.
- Penn State began to take command of the action as the second half continued to roll along, with the Nittany Lions able to answer every Campbell comeback attempt with a make on the other end to preserve their double-digit lead to the tune of a 63-50 score with 14:39 to go. The Fighting Camels were able to cut things down to nine with consecutive layups down low, but a straight-away 3-pointer from Jurić and mid-range jumper from Reed ballooned the lead back to 14.
- Out of the under-12 media break, Campbell logged a dunk on the offensive end and capitalized off a PSU giveaway with a 3-pointer to pull back within single digits, but quality in the paint from Jurić preserved the Nittany Lion double-figure edge at 70-60 with less than eight minutes to play. The Fighting Camels went on a quick 6-2 run from there, but a physical bucket down low from Jurić kept the Nittany Lions in control with less than four minutes remaining in the game.
- The Fighting Camels continued to battle down the stretch, cutting the lead as low as five points on a pair of occasions thanks to more success from beyond the arc. A reply from long range by Reed temporarily stymied Campbell’s success, and Tunca was able to add a pair of points at the line moments later, but it remained a two-possession game inside two minutes. Fortunately for PSU, Mingo was able to tack on a driving layup at the 1:36 mark, and a pair of free throws from Dilione V effectively iced the game at 83-74 with just over a minute remaining. Penn State’s defense was able to hold on over the final 60 seconds to come away with the 87-76 result.
GAME NOTES
- Penn State improves to 8-1 overall and remains undefeated at home this season. Campbell fell to 3-5 with the loss.
- Penn State faced off against the Fighting Camels for the second time in program history, with the Nittany Lions earning an 86-75 victory at the Bryce Jordan Center in November of 2017 in the first matchup.
- Under the direction of Peter and Ann Tombros endowed Head Coach Mike Rhoades, the Blue & White have scored 80 or more points in seven of the last eight games and are 7-0 this season when doing so.
- The Nittany Lions are 8-0 this season when outshooting the opponent from the field, shooting 51.7 percent compared to the Fighting Camels’ 45.3 percent clip.
- Penn State had its third-highest scoring first half this season, notching 46 points against Campbell. The Nittany Lions have scored 45 or more points in the first half three times this season, all coming in the last three games.
- Spreading the ball around, the Nittany Lions saw the likes of Juric, Mingo, Dilione V, and Reed all have 15-plus-point scoring nights. This is the first time this season Penn State has had four different players score 15 points or more in a game.
- Discipline was a major focus late, and Penn State came away with seven turnovers against Campbell’s 17. The Nittany Lions are now 7-0 when committing fewer turnovers than the opponent.
- Penn State reached several milestones in the win against the Fighting Camels, achieving season highs in team free-throw percentage at 88.0 percent in addition to a season-best four blocks as a team.
- Freshman guard Kayden Mingo led Penn State in scoring for the second time this year, scoring 21 points and adding four assists. Mingo has logged double-digit scoring performances in all but one game this year and notched 20 points or more for the second time. His eight field goals made against Campbell tied his career-high.
- The guard from Farmingdale, New York, also showed out defensively as he followed up his eight-steal performance against Sacred Heart with three steals on the night, his second-highest mark of the season.
- Tuesday was redshirt junior guard Freddie Dilione V’s seventh time reaching double figures this season. Dilione was active on the defensive end as well, recording three or more steals for the second straight game. His four steals against Campbell tied for the most he had in a single game in his career and also led the team against the Fighting Camels.
- Senior forward Josh Reed notched 16 points, marking his fifth time in double figures this season. Reed’s two 3-pointers are the most he’s had in a single game this season.
- In his second consecutive start and third of the year, sophomore guard Dominick Stewart secured a career-high and team-leading five assists. Tuesday’s game against Campbell was Stewart’s first time leading Penn State in assists.
- Freshman forward Ivan Juric was efficient against the Fighting Camels, netting 16 points on the night. The Zagreb, Croatia, native has recorded three straight games in double-figures and also drilled a team-high quintet of free throws in just six attempts.
- Penn State went with the starting lineup of Jurić, Mingo, Stewart, Tunca, and Reed for the second-straight game, and the second time overall this season. The Nittany Lions are now 2-0 when doing so.
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions open up Big Ten play on Tuesday, Dec. 9 when Penn State travels to #22/19 Indiana for an 8:30 p.m. tipoff on FS1.