Penn State men’s basketball enjoyed getting back to its home court on Sunday afternoon after taking its first loss of the season last week. Behind a career day from [autotag]Yanic Konan Niederhauser[/autotag] and a double-digit assist performance from [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag], Penn Sta easily took care of Buffalo in the Bryce Jordan Center for an 87-64 win. The victory improves Penn State to 7-1, which is the best start for the program since the 2019-20 season.
The Switzerland native and Northern Illinois transfer Niederhauser scored a career-best 27 points while shooting 12-for-16. Niederhauser took control underneath the basket with seven dunks.
Penn State’s defense applied pressure on the visiting Bulls early on. That led to five Buffalo turnovers in the first eight minutes as Penn State took an early lead and built onto the lead off those Buffalo miscues. Penn State led by as many as 12 points in the first half with a Baldwin three-pointer late in the first half.
Penn State continued to extend its lead in the second half before Buffalo got as close as 10 points at 64-54. But Penn State went on a 12-1 run to help put the game on ice. [autotag]Freddie Dilione V[/autotag] scored eight of his career-high 16 points in that run.
Next up for Penn State is the start of Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions host Purdue on Thursday night in the Bryce Jordan Center.
