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NittanyCentral delivers expert analysis from veteran reporters and timely updates on Penn State sports, with in-depth coverage of Nittany Lions Football, Wrestling, Basketball, and more.

NittanyCentral

NittanyCentral delivers expert analysis from veteran reporters and timely updates on Penn State sports, with in-depth coverage of Nittany Lions Football, Wrestling, Basketball, and more.

Penn State Basketball Runs Past Rider 90-63 | Key Takeaways

Penn State Basketball

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State Basketball took care of business, defeating the Rider Broncs 90-63 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State was led by Kanye Clary as normal, scoring 29 points and adding in 3 assists and a rebound.  Ace Baldwin added 10 points and 9 assists.

Penn State Basketball
Penn State Nittany Lions guard Ace Baldwin Jr. (1), guard Nick Kern Jr. (3), forward Puff Johnson (4) and forward Qudus Wahab (22) celebrate. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire)

The Nittany Lions came out strong and the Broncs from Rider did not.  Rider’s Head Coach Kevin Baggett was forced to call three (!) first half timeouts, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Penn State onslaught. Rider didn’t reach double digits until the 5:22 mark and the Nittany Lions led 44-24 going into the halftime break.

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Is Rebounding a Concern for Penn State Basketball?

Rider is a strong rebounding team and did end up outrebounding Penn State by three, 33-30.  The Broncs were able to control the game a bit more in the second half, as evidenced by the Nittany Lions ‘only’ winning the second half by seven. Rider was able to cut the margin to 12 but Penn State Basketball responded with a 12-0 run, capped off by a D’Marco Dunn three and a Puff Johnson layup, forcing Rider to call their last timeout. Dunn finished with 12 points off the bench and Johnson added 8 of his own to go along with 6 rebounds. The second half will give Penn State Head Coach Mike Rhoades some things to work on before they turn to conference play. Turnovers and rebounding continue to be an issue, but a strong showing from the bench (27 points) is a nice change for the Nittany Lions.


What’s Next for Penn State Basketball

Penn State heads on the road to the Breslin Center to take on Michigan State on Thursday, January 4th at 7:00 pm before heading to the Palestra in Philadelphia to host Michigan on Sunday.

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Evan Smith
Penn State Basketball Runs Past Rider 90-63 | Key Takeaways
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