Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
4 4 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M THREE STARS 1. Nick Kern Jr. | G | Sr. Kern has been Penn State's most consistent per- former this season on both ends of the floor. He's produced at least 8 points in every outing since the Lions' third game and finished with a season- high 21 in the loss to Indiana on Jan. 5 and 19 against Oregon a week later. 2. D'Marco Dunn | G | Sr. Dropping 18 points at Michigan State on Jan. 15, Dunn broke a perimeter-shooting funk that enveloped most of the Penn State roster in De- cember and January. He hit 7 of 13 shots from the floor with an attacking style while also making 4 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc. 3. Yanic Konan Niederhauser | F | Jr. Although he's still adapting to the physicality of the Big Ten, Konan Niederhauser has gradually improved as the conference schedule has pro- gressed. He had 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks against Michigan State Jan. 15, then finished with a career-high 18 points versus Rut- gers five days later, adding 6 rebounds. KEY MOMENT Trailing 41-27 with just 3 minutes left to play in the first half against No. 13 Oregon on Jan. 12, the Nittany Lions put together a 7-0 run behind contributions from senior forwards Puff Johnson and Zach Hicks, and freshman guard Freddie Dilione V. That trajectory continued after intermission. The Nittany Lions upended the game's flow by employing a 2-3 zone that threw Oregon off-kilter offensively. PSU held the visitors to 18 points in the first 13 minutes of the second half and capi- talized with a consistent offensive push off the Ducks' misses. Transforming their deficit into a 68-59 lead on two Dilione free throws at the 6:34 mark, the Nit- tany Lions weren't out of the woods. After a 7-1 run by the Ducks, the two teams were on the see- saw leading into the game's final minutes. Given the circumstances, Rhoades was pleased with the effort. But everything unraveled in the final minutes. Penn State allowed a pair of open three-pointers due to miscommunication and had 2 turnovers that led directly to Oregon points. Its 9-point advantage turned into an 82-78 deficit with 18 seconds to play, and PSU eventually lost, 82-81. "I'm really, really proud of our guys. They were awesome. Their approach, the way they played, how hard they played. I'm really proud of how coachable they were during that game, but we choked down the stretch," Rhoades said. "Not good enough. Pretty damn close. Credit to Ore- gon, they did not falter down the stretch. They're really, really good. But that was a game we could have won, and we didn't." BEST HIGHLIGHT In an 84-80 win over Northwestern on Jan. 2, the Lions were the beneficiaries of a critical — and correct — late-game officiating decision. The Wildcats had missed a chance to win the game on a Ty Berry three-point attempt with only 6 seconds remaining, but Jalen Leach secured a rebound on a missed box-out and put the ball back up to the basket. Penn State's Dunn swatted it from behind, sending the ball careening back into the paint. Northwestern's Brooks Barnhizer collected the rebound for an uncontested layup to seemingly tie the score, 82-82, but the play had been blown dead due to a goaltending call against Dunn. Afterward, officials went to the monitor to scruti- nize what had taken place. After a lengthy review, the truth was revealed. Dunn had swatted the ball against the backboard cleanly. The ruling took two points off the score- board, as well as Barnhizer's putback. Awarding Northwestern the ball on the base- line, lead official Paul Szelc explained that the Wildcats had been in possession at the time of the call. Rhoades didn't necessarily agree with that interpretation, but his team weathered the sequence and got the win. BOLD PREDICTION Last month's bold prediction — that the Lions would make the NCAA Tournament — doesn't look so hot right now. Will Penn State still get to the tourney? Given its tough stretch in January, it will have to battle back from less-than-ideal circumstances if it's going to do so. Without the injured Johnson for an extended amount of time, that mountain becomes an even higher climb. Still, by this time next month, the Nittany Lions will have had an opportunity to play themselves into relevance. They got off to a good start with an 80-72 win over visiting Rutgers on Jan. 20, and they have repeatedly demonstrated a competi- tiveness that has carried over, regardless of the opponent's quality. Penn State has the ability. It simply needs to fully capitalize, and it will do so before this season is over. — Nate Bauer MEN'S BASKETBALL SUPERLATIVES D E C . 1 4 – J A N . 2 0 Senior guard Nick Kern Jr. was second on the Nittany Lions in scoring through 19 games, averaging 12.6 points. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS