Basketball season got underway on Monday night when Penn State welcomed Fairfield to the Bryce Jordan Center for a nonconference clash.
Despite entering as heavy favorites, the Nittany Lions fell into an early deficit and went back-and-forth for much of the game before some clutch late-game buckets resulted in a 76-68 win.
“Today was a great day of dealing with adversity, being down late, and the guys rung the bell,” head coach Mike Rhoades said after the game.
How it happened
Penn State fell into an early 12-0 hole following a string of missed shots and turnovers, with forward Tibor Mirtič recording the team’s first points of the year on a tip-in. The Nittany Lions’ lack of chemistry showed out of the gate with five new starters in the rotation.
Penn State went on a run to tie the game at 17, highlighted by an and-one from talented freshman guard Kayden Mingo and a corner three from guard Eli Rice.
“The first game, it is what it is. It was really fun being out there, fun and exciting,” Mingo said.
Mason Blackwood checked into the game midway through the first half for his first college minutes, while Ivan Jurić, Freddie Dilione V, Melih Tunca and Tibor Mirtic also saw action.
The Nittany Lions began clicking defensively and forced several turnovers to stall the Stags, while Tunca recorded three consecutive layups to pull ahead 32-29.
“It was different from European basketball, but I adjusted pretty quickly and this is the basketball I like to play, so it was good” Tunca said.
Heading into halftime, the teams were locked at 37 points apiece, though Fairfield’s physical play style resulted in a 21-15 edge in rebounds and an 11-3 foul differential.
Penn State seemingly made it a mission to feed Jurić in the second half, as he got the ball in the low post repeatedly and produced the team’s first six points out of the break.
“He really has a great feel for how to play.” Rhoades said. “He didn’t use his left hand when he got here in June. He had some great finishes with his left hand today.”
Meanwhile, Fairfield continued to feed guard Braden Sparks, who finished with 25 points on 10-for-20 shooting, adding four boards.
Dominick Stewart, who started the game and was pulled after just three minutes, returned midway through the second frame and got on the board with back-to-back buckets to keep the game close.
The Nittany Lions took a 58-56 lead out of the under-eight minute media timeout, but quickly lost it after allowing Fairfield three straight offensive rebounds which they finally cashed in for three free throws to regain the lead.
“We just gotta get better at it, and it’s only gonna get harder … Everyone’s gotta rebound … We’ll get better at it,” Rhoades said.
The back-and-forth battle continued, with Rhoades becoming increasingly vocal and visibly frustrated. Frequent foul calls against Penn State allowed the Stags to build a 66-60 edge.
“Nobody was panicking, there were no frowns in the huddle, there was no blaming, excuse making … the last 3:28 was to our standards,” Rhoades said.
What began as a slow second half quickly evolved into a shootout, with Jurić hitting a clutch 3-pointer and layup and Tunca knocking down his first deep ball. Some tight defense helped maintain the lead, and the Nittany Lions held on for a 76-68 victory to open the season.
Team leaders
Penn State
Points: Melih Tunca, 19
Rebounds: Tibor Mirtič, 11
Assists: Melih Tunca, 6
Fairfield
Points: Braden Sparks, 25
Rebounds: Brandon Benjamin, 10
Assists: Halon Rawlins, 3
