Penn State 90, Sacred Heart 59: Lions Maul Pioneers

While most of you were nervously watching Penn State’s football team earn bowl eligibility against Rutgers, the basketball team was busy taking care of business against a Sacred Heart team they were a 15-point favorite against.

Both teams took turns exchanging buckets in the first five minutes, with Sacred Heart taking a 9-8 lead with 14:48 left in the first half on a three-pointer. It would be the last time they would lead though, as a Penn State went on a 24-6 run over the next ten minutes to effectively put this game away before halftime, thanks to some stingy defense that forced turnovers that led to transition points (PSU forced 24 turnovers in total for 34 points off turnovers) and ultimately a 47-20 halftime lead.

The second half saw PSU continue to pile on to their already hefty lead, going up by as much as 74-34 with 8:20 to play in the game, as the team continued to create turnovers and rack up the points. Ivan Juric (14 points), Kayden Mingo (13), Melih Tunca (12), Eli Rice (11), and Freddie Dilione (10) all finished the game with double digits scoring for the Nittany Lions in what was a comfortable win that was never in doubt.

Player of The Game

Kayden Mingo – 13 points, 8 steals, 5 assists

That is not a typo folks, Mingo was responsible for one-third of Sacred Heart’s turnovers, and had half of PSU’s 15 total steals as a team. Against overmatched opponents like tonight’s, his athleticism really stuck out, as he was able to easily penetrate the lane for layups or to drop dimes to a wide open teammate who finished the job and disrupt the passing lanes to rack up the steals.

Random Observations

• What Basketball Game? – With the students being gone for Thanksgiving, the caliber of opponent, plus the football game that was going at the same time, attendance was rather sparse. Those who did show up however, were treated to a livestreaming of the football game on the video board. According to one person in attendance, the loudest cheers at the Bryce Jordan Center came when Andrew Rappleyea converted the 4th down to ice the game against Rutgers.

• Free Throws Still Need Work – It didn’t matter in a blowout like tonight’s game, but the Nittany Lions shot merely 66 percent (19-for-29) from the free throw line. Such a performance at the charity stripe will cost them dearly in Big Ten play if they don’t get it cleaned up soon.

• The Bench is Still Solid – Rice and Dilione were the leading scorers off the bench, but Tibor Mirtic also pitched in with 8 points, and Sasa Ciani and Justin Houser also scored, as the bench combined for a total of 34 points. Even once the rotation tightens up for Big Ten play, there should still be some reliable scoring coming off the bench for the Nittany Lions.

Up Next

Penn State hosts Campbell this upcoming Tuesday, December 2nd, at the Bryce Jordan Center. Tipoff will be at 6:00 PM EST on Big Ten Network.