Freddie Dilione V Sparks Penn State Basketball to 3-0 Start With Win Over Navy
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Freddie Dilione V came off the bench and delivered 19 points to lead Penn State Basketball to an 80-71 win over Navy at the Bryce Jordan Center, keeping the Nittany Lions‘ perfect on the season and giving head coach Mike Rhoades plenty to smile about after the program’s 3-0 start.
After an appropriate celebration of the Naval Academy on Veterans Day, the Nittany Lion hoops squad led consistently (as opposed to the 15-2 deficit they faced last week at home vs Fairfield). While never really being able to put away a feisty Navy squad, the outcome never really felt in doubt, moving Penn State to 3-0 on the season.
“My teammates helping me, we all sharing the ball and working hard in practice,” said Dilone V on his 19-point effort. “When the long ball isn’t falling, you find other ways to score.”
Penn State Basketball Does What it Takes to Stay Unbeaten
Despite the win, Penn State realizes that it needs to figure out how to put teams away, if this Lions team is going to be one to take seriously when Big Ten play opens.
“Playing every night is a blessing,” Kayden Mingo, the highest-rated recruit in school history, said. “Coach always tells us to expect everyone’s best shot. Navy played a great game, kudos to them.”
Helping the Nittany Lions to keep the Navy upset hopes at bay was a significant improvement from the free throw line, 14-18 (77.8%) led by Dilione’s 6-6 and Melih Tunca’s 4-4 (finishing with 13 points).
Where Penn State Basketball Must Improve
Rebounding continues to be an early concern despite the three wins. Navy, not a very tall team, finished just one rebound behind the Nittany Lions and more than held their own in the paint. Getting 10 points and 8 rebounds combined from Sasa Ciani, Ivan Juric, and Tibor Mirtic is an area Penn State will need to improve on before Big Ten play.
Head Coach Mike Rhoades earned his first technical of the season, animatedly arguing a foul call near the midcourt stripe.
“That’s only my seventh technical,” Rhoades explained after the game. “I get animated, but I move on pretty quickly.”
He added in the post game press conference about ‘1A’ in this program, which is playing for the love of the game (and not being concerned about NIL). “Who cares who starts”, added Rhoades, complimenting his leading scorer Dilione V coming off the bench.
Nittany Lions’ Identity Emerging Early Under Mike Rhoades
Three games into the season, Rhoades is pleasantly surprised by the progress his team is making.
“They really share the ball,” Rhoades explained. “They give up a good shot for a great shot…we have big guys that can pass the ball. They all like each other, and there’s a level of bonding I really like. I also see a joyful presence to a lot of these guys, they celebrate each other’s success. And we have some versatility on defense.”
Penn State next plays Lasalle at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday.
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NittanyCentral is his second reporting job following the Men's Basketball program. He co-founded and co-hosts the Shots Gotta Fall - The Penn State Basketball Podcast (the premiere, the best, the only) with Steve Travis.
Smith's most proud moment covering the team was seeing the national No. 9 ranking during Pat Chambers' last year. His most embarrassing moment was spending almost a thousand dollars to travel 2,000 miles in 46 hours to watch the Nittany Lions lose to Temple in the 2011 NCAA Tournament (screw you Juan Fernandez).
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