Yanic Konan Niederhauser hung from the rim for an extended period and looked back at the UMBC player he’d just posterized after grabbing a ball off the iron and dunking it back through the hoop with ease. It was among the highlight moments Friday night for Niederhauser, who scored a team-high 18 points, pulled down nine rebounds and tallied two blocks and two steals in Penn State’s 103-54 win over the Retrievers at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Niederhauser has made it look easy through the Nittany Lions’ first two games. His 7-foot-1, 250-pound frame has been equally difficult for opponents to contain defensively and score over on offense. His performance against UMBC and former Penn State interim head coach Jim Ferry complemented D’Marco Dunn’s 16 points and 12 points and three blocks from Zach Hicks.
“He brings a presence, a different type of presence,” Dunn said of Niederhauser. “He’s a different type of big man than we’ve had before. He plays well above the rim. He’s athletic. He can move well.”
Following their 108-66 win over Binghamton on Monday, the Nittany Lions have eclipsed 100 points in consecutive games for the first time in program history.
ACE FINDS A WAY TO WIN
It should say something that the Nittany Lions were able to win by such a convincing margin despite star point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. being held to seven points, all of which were scored in the second half. Despite Baldwin’s shooting struggles, Penn State produced a strong showing offensively, shooting 55% from the field.
Baldwin also contributed in other ways aside from dominating the scoring column. He dished out a team-high eight assists, grabbed four rebounds and tallied two steals.
“He was plus-41. I’m not worried about him missing a shot. … He only played 23 minutes, and his group out there, when he was out there, was plus-41,” head coach Mike Rhoades said. “The dude cares about one thing and the one thing is his team winning, and it’s a great lesson for all our young guys.”
DEFENSIVE PROWESS
For all the successes of the Nittany Lions’ offense through two games, their defense shouldn’t be overlooked. It was, again, outstanding on Friday. Penn State scored 22 points off of 15 forced turnovers against the Retrievers, following up on a season opener in which it scored 31 points off of 21 turnovers.
JIM FERRY’S RETURN
Ferry yelled from the sideline as the Bryce Jordan Center roared, a relatable experience for the UMBC coach who just four seasons ago served as the Nittany Lions’ interim head coach after Pat Chambers’ resignation in 2020. In his return, Ferry was wowed by the evolution of the team he used to lead.
“That’s a good Big Ten team. And I’ve seen a couple of Big Ten teams play already on television,” Ferry said. “Mike’s style is different than what most teams do in the Big Ten. So, he’s going to cause some havoc. It takes people out of their stuff. Now they have a backline guy that’s an NBA body. … Ace Baldwin’s one of the best point guards in the country.”
INJURIES
Freshman forward Miles Goodman and Nebraska transfer guard Eli Rice were inactive for a second consecutive game. Rhoades said on Monday that Goodman’s absence is “protocol” while Rice “won’t be too long.”
