Penn State welcomed Navy to the Bryce Jordan Center on a chilly Tuesday night in State College for the first matchup between the two programs in 40 years, looking to remain undefeated in the early stages of the season.
The Nittany Lions led nearly the whole way but struggled to pull away, resulting in an 80-71 win over the Midshipmen to advance to 3-0 on the year.
How it happened
Neither team was particularly impressive out of the gate, but it was Penn State that heated up first, pulling ahead 14-11 including a pair of triples from forward Ivan Jurić and guard Freddie Dilione V and a breakaway dunk from freshman guard Kayden Mingo, the team’s leading scorer entering the game.
“What (Dilione has) done is he’s gone into the game and made a difference on both ends of the court, and he’s our leading scorer today,” head coach Mike Rhoades said after the game. “But it was the other things that he did too, and I’m just super proud of these guys.”
While Navy got all of its early points in the paint, Penn State was the opposite, letting it rain from beyond the arc. Back-to-back 3-pointers from guard Dominick Stewart helped the Nittany Lions mount a 24-15 lead and forced a Midshipmen timeout less than nine minutes into the first half.
Navy’s first three-pointer came with under seven minutes in the frame, courtesy of Jinwoo Kim who cut the lead to 29-23, a score that held for almost three minutes of game time.
Midshipman David Burnett was called for a technical foul after making contact with Melih Tunca’s head on a layup attempt, resulting in a pair of made free throws. Tunca appeared to be in pain but continued to play.
Navy’s undisciplined streak continued with an unnecessary foul on forward Josh Reed, giving him an and-one opportunity that he capitalized on to extend the lead to 34-23.
“I’ve been really hard on him. I’ve been pushing him. He probably thinks I’m crazy,” Rhoades said of Reed. “There’s so much more in that mind, in that body. And I wanted more from him the last two games. Josh doesn’t want to let you down. He’s a pleaser, and you appreciate that. But sometimes that holds you back from going to make a play.”
The Midshipmen didn’t go away, continuing to prioritize physical front court play and offensive rebounding, closing the gap to 38-32 before halftime despite connecting on just two deep balls.
“Our bigs got to fly around more,” Rhoades said. “They’re getting better, but not good enough … You got to be flesh on flesh … We give up too many layups. That’s like my biggest pet peeve on defense.”
Navy cut the deficit to two out of the break, but Penn State responded with a rally to remain at arm’s length with a 57-45 edge, highlighted by a Mingo stepback jumper.
The Nittany Lions struggled to capitalize on opportunities to hit the killing blow, allowing the Midshipmen to hang around after a flurry of missed high-percentage shots near the rim. Holding a 63-55 edge, Tuncah turned the ball over on a misguided pass which sparked a 5-point run for Navy.
Mingo took the reins, converting six of seven shots for 14 points in the second half alone and willing Penn State to stay ahead on the scoreboard. Holding a lead, the Nittany Lions slowed the pace of play and closed out the game with an 80-71 win.
“He has a really strong upper body, so he can give a hit or take a hit, and doesn’t knock him off his track where he wants to go,” Rhoades said. “He’s very good at small spaces for contact.”
Team leaders:
Penn State
Points: Freddie Dilione V, 19
Rebounds: Kayden Mingo, 7
Assists: Kayden Mingo, 4
Navy
Points: Jinwoo Kim, 25
Rebounds: Donovan Draper, 12
Assists: Austin Benigni, 8
Next up: Penn State will face La Salle at 1 p.m. on Saturday in a neutral site battle at Xfinity Mobile Arena, home to the Philadelphia 76ers.
