Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530530
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M F rom the outset, the Penn State men's basketball team was eager to make a statement. Opening the season with a 108-66 victory over Binghamton on Nov. 4 followed by a 103-54 win over the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on Nov. 8, the Nittany Lions were scoring at a historic rate. Those back-to-back wins marked the first time in program history that PSU surpassed 100 points in consecutive games, but head coach Mike Rhoades urged caution. While the century mark may have been tantalizing to a Penn State program with an all-time high sea- son scoring average of 78.7 set in 1955, reaching triple digits wasn't the point. The point was the performance be- hind the numbers. "It's about them seeing the ball go in. The ball is going in the right way. We're sharing it. We got steals. Instead of someone being selfish trying to get to the rim, they're passing and looking for their teammates," Rhoades said. "When the ball is hot and everybody's getting a piece of it, I think that creates con- fidence. When guys share the ball and you go from good shots to great shots, the rim gets bigger, the hoop gets bigger. They can see that. There's a joy to this team in the way they play." With the schedule guaranteed to get substantially more difficult, caution seemed entirely justified after the team's first few games. But then a curious thing happened. The drop-off in scoring production didn't occur. The Nittany Lions blasted Virginia Tech in Baltimore on Nov. 15, 86-64, and their offensive binge against the Hokies paled in comparison to the 92 points they posted against Saint Fran- cis Nov. 12 and the 102 they dropped on Purdue Fort Wayne Nov. 20. Against Fordham in Daytona Beach, Fla., for the Sunshine Slam ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Nittany Li- ons notched an 85-66 win. Back at the Bryce Jordan Center six days later, PSU shrugged off a sluggish start and romped past Buffalo, 87-64. The Lions did suffer a setback along the way, dropping a 75-67 decision to MEN'S BASKETBALL Tipping Tipping Points Points An offensive surge has helped the Nittany Lions start fast in Mike Rhoades' second season NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Through Penn State's first 10 contests, graduate point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. was second in the Big Ten in assists, averag- ing 8 per game. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS