Penn State started hot, ahead by double-digits just two minutes in. Then, things dipped in the opposite direction. The shots stopped falling as players increasingly turned the ball over and struggled to consistently win rebounding battles. Slowly but surely, the Nittany Lions fought to regain a sizable advantage in a 92-62 win over St. Francis (PA) on Tuesday.
Puff Johnson scored a career-high 20 points, while Ace Baldwin Jr. tallied 16 points, taking over a bulk of the scoring workload from 7-foot-1 center Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who missed most of the first half after committing two personal fouls. Niederhauser returned and played most of the second half, securing 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Despite showing some signs of adversity at times on Tuesday, Mike Rhoades’ second-year squad has surpassed 90 points in three consecutive games for the first time in 29 years. But soon will come this team’s greatest challenge yet, a meeting with Virginia Tech (3-0) in Baltimore on Friday, a game in which Baldwin said he’d like to make a “statement.”
“How much can we improve? That’s my challenge to them,” Rhoades said postgame. “Look, we want to play really good teams, and we want to play them all over the country, and that’s where we got to get to. Everywhere I’ve been, that’s how I’ve done it. We’re going to do it here at Penn State. I want to play great events and great teams.”
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS
When Rhoades joined the Nittany Lions, he pledged to implement a defense-first system that would set his program apart from others in the Big Ten. This was evident, at times, throughout last season, but Rhoades’ defensive intensity has reached new heights so far in 2024. It’s been his team’s bread and butter over three games.
On Tuesday, Penn State scored 25 points off of 24 forced turnovers. That brought the Nittany Lions’ season average to 26 points per game scored off 20.6 forced turnovers. Those are great numbers, considering Iowa State led all high-major programs with 18.3 forced turnovers per game last season. The question: Can Rhoades keep it up against quality opponents?
PUFF PUTS UP CAREER NUMBERS
Baldwin couldn’t help but joke with Johnson after the fifth-year senior scored 20 points for the first time in his college career. “Finally,” Baldwin said with a smirk. It’s been a long road for Johnson, who joined the Nittany Lions after three seasons at North Carolina, but never seemed to reach the potential he was expected to play at as a four-star recruit out of high school.
If Tuesday was any indication, Johnson appears to be playing at a new level this season. It was just his scoring total that stood out, but how he obtained a bulk of his points — hitting 3-of-4 attempts from 3-point range. Johnson also led the way on the defensive end, notching a career-high four steals.
“He’s just stronger. He’s always played hard, and he’s always been physical and tough,” Rhoades said. “But now you’re stronger, tougher, with 15 pounds of muscle behind you, and he’s healthy, so that’s great. He does a great job taking care of his body. So, I think he deserves to have that success. And the guys believe in him. They look for him.”
INJURIES
Nebraska transfer Eli Rice, who missed the first two games with an injury, was scoreless but grabbed two rebounds over seven minutes in his season debut. … Freshman forward Miles Goodman, a former four-star recruit, missed his third consecutive game to start the year. Rhoades said on Nov. 4 that Goodman’s absence was “protocol.”
