Tag: Qudus Wahab

Penn State basketball comes from behind to upset Ohio State

Ace Baldwin Jr.’s late three-pointer helps lift Penn State to come-from-behind upset over Ohio State.

After trailing by double digits at home at halftime on Saturday afternoon, [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] capped a second-half rally with a go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute of regulation to help Penn State upset Ohio State, 83-80, in the Bryce Jordan Center. The win evened Penn State’s record at 5-5 this season overall and 1-1 in early Big Ten play. It also snapped a five-game losing skid by the Nittany Lions.

Baldwin Jr.’s late three-pointer broke a 76-76 tie with half a minute remaining in the game. Penn State stayed in front the rest of the way thanks to some good defense, a key rebound by [autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag], and with a couple of key free throws by Wahab.

Baldwin had just 9 points in the win and his late three-pointer was the only one of five he successfully drained. He did record three steals, three rebounds, and five assists in the game.

Penn State was led by starters [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag]’s 19-point effort and double-digits from [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] (11 points) and Wahab (10 points). [autotag]Leo O’Boyle[/autotag] had a big game off the bench with 15 points with four three-pointers made. [autotag]D’Marco Dunn[/autotag] also added 16 points from the bench.

This game marked the return of former Penn State guard [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag], who transferred to Ohio State in the offseason. Mahaffey had 5 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in his return to the Bryce Jordan Center. Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes with 17 points.

Penn State will have a week off before its next game, against Georgia Tech in Madison Square Garden in New York next Saturday, Dec. 16. Penn State will return to Big Ten play after the new year on Jan. 4 at Michigan State.

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Penn State vs. Bucknell basketball: Best photos form an ugly game

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s basketball game against Bucknell.

After dropping all three games away from home for the first time in a Thanksgiving weekend tournament, Penn State was hoping to enjoy some home cooking in the Bryce Jordan Center. After starting the season off 4-0 at home, the Nittany Lions were left wondering what went wrong in an ugly home loss to Bucknell on Saturday afternoon.

It was a truly humbling performance for a Penn State team still searching for a bit of an identity on a roster with a blend of transfers and young players under the direction of new head coach Mike Rhoades. With Big Ten play set to open next, the Nittany Lions have some things to sort through after this loss to the Bison, who came to University Park with just two wins on the year.

Here are some of the best photos from an otherwise forgettable basketball game for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State basketball loses ugly game against Bucknell

Penn State basketball’s losing skid hits four games after an ugly loss at home to Bucknell.

If the alarms weren’t going off for the Penn State basketball program after losing three straight games during their Thanksgiving tournament, they have to be blaring right now.

The Nittany Lions entered Saturday’s game against Bucknell as massive favorites. After all, it’s a Big Ten team hosting a Patriot League program. On paper, this was a massive mismatch.

That’s not how it turned out though as Penn State lost the game 76-67.

Not only is the result shocking, it’s completely unacceptable after allowing Bucknell to shoot 58.0% from the field and 47.6% from three-point range as they finished with 10 threes.

The only time the Nittany Lions were remotely in control of the game was right before halftime as they took a six point lead into the locker room up 33-27.

It seemed like that newfound momentum would be the catalyst that propelled them to a dominant outing like expected. However, that was the furthest thing from the case.

After going up 41-33 with 15:42 left in the game, Penn State completely fell asleep and let Bucknell get back into things with poor defense and poor offense.

A 12-4 run by Bucknell with under three minutes in the fourth quarter was the nail in the coffin for Penn State as they dropped their fourth game in a row and second game to the Bison in program history.

[autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] was the leading scorer for the Nittany Lions with 18 points. He added eight rebounds as well in his best performance of the season. [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] came off the bench and added 17 points. [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] was the only other player in double figures with 13 points.

It’s been a rough couple weeks for the program under new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag]. After winning four games to start the season, they are now on a four game losing streak with a loss to Bucknell on their record.

The Nittany Lions will have to pick themselves off the mat quickly as they head to Maryland Dec. 6 for their first Big Ten action of the year.

Penn State loses to VCU in ESPN Events Invitational

Penn State went 0-3 in the ESPN Events Invitational over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Penn State started off the season 4-0 under new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag]. Many, if not all, of those games were glorified scrimmages and allowed the Nittany Lions to gel before heading out to their Thanksgiving tournament.

That event would be their first big test of the early season with them beginning the ESPN Events Invitational against No. 12 ranked Texas A&M in a rematch of the NCAA Tournament last year.

After two losses to start the event, Penn State played VCU on Sunday in the seventh place game. With Rhoades, [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern[/autotag] leaving VCU for the Nittany Lions, this game had some underlying storylines before tip off.

Unfortunately, Penn State couldn’t win a single game in the tournament as they lost 86-74 for their third-straight double-digit loss.

Things got off to a rocky start when VCU took a 9-2 lead almost five minutes into the game. The Nittany Lions were ablet to recover and the first half was a seesaw affair with the Rams extending leads and then Penn State going on mini runs to reduce the deficit.

VCU led 46-40 at halftime after up-and-down action.

Penn State took their first lead since the 8:50 mark in the first half when a [autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] layup gave them a 49-48 lead with 15:22 remaining in the game.

This began another seesaw affair until VCU eventually got some separation and never relented the lead again.

Overall, it was a disappointing tournament for the Nittany Lions, who came into this event with confidence after dominating the early portion of their season.

An early injury to [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] didn’t help their cause as their best guard through so far this year was limited to nine minutes and zero points.

A good sign for Penn State is that Baldwin had his best game of the season, scoring 27 points on 8 of 19 shooting from the field and two made three-pointers. He also had five assists and two steals.

Ultimately, while the results were disappointing, there are still plenty of positives to takeaway from this event as they head home for some preparation before their last non-conference game on Dec. 6.

ESPN Events Invitational: Best photos from Penn State’s game vs. VCU

Penn State came up short against VCU in their final game in the ESPN Events Invitational. Here are the best photos from the VCU game.

Penn State’s Thanksgiving weekend did not offer too many things to be thankful for. Penn State went 0-3 in the ESPN Events Invitational this weekend after losing the 7th-place game on Sunday morning against VCU. VCU celebrated a win over their former head coach, [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag], and former teammates [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] as the Nittany Lions were left looking to regroup back at home after a rough weekend.

Penn State lost to VCU by a final score of 86-74 in a game where leading scorer [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] left early due to an injury. Baldwin scored a game-high 27 points against his former teammates from VCU, but VCU got a big game off the bench from guard Alphonzo Billups III who scored 23 points in 27 minutes on the court.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s most recent setback against VCU from the ESPN Events Invitational.

ESPN Events Invitational: Penn State vs. No. 13 Texas A&M preview

Penn State plays Texas A&M in the opening round of the ESPN Events Invitational.

[autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] and the Nittany Lions are off to a hot start in State College, bringing a 4-0 record to the ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Florida. The Nittany Lions will play three games in four days, beginning with a rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament first-round game against Texas A&M at noon on Thanksgiving.

Penn State has played its first four games at the Bryce Jordan Center, making this tournament the Nittany Lions’ first real challenge of the season. The 13th-ranked Aggies also hold a 4-0 record with wins over Ohio State and Oral Roberts. Texas A&M and Penn State have similar offensive numbers, averaging 76 and 77.5 points per game, respectively. Defensively, the Nittany Lions come into the game with the fourth-ranked scoring defense in the country, only allowing 53.5 ppg. The Aggies give up 61 ppg, albeit against more challenging opponents.

Early into this season, you can already tell this squad’s calling card is its defense and ability to create turnovers, with steal artist [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] leading the way. Penn State forces opponents into 21.5 turnovers per game, good for second in the country. Against Morehead State last week, the Nittany Lions forced a whopping 29 turnovers.

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A deciding factor for Penn State on Thursday will be on the glass, especially limiting the Aggies’ second-chance points. Texas A&M is one of the best rebounding teams in the country, averaging 47 per game (11th in the nation) and 19.3 offensive rebounds (2nd in the nation). [autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] and Aggie center Henry Coleman III are both in the top 15, and whoever has the better afternoon might prove decisive.

The point guard battle between Ace Baldwin Jr. and Wade Taylor IV is a storyline to watch, with both guards being terrific defenders. On the offensive side of the ball, Penn State’s [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] (17.5 ppg) and Tyrece Radford (15.5 ppg) are two scorers shooting better than 43% from the field and 35% from the 3-point line.

Another strength of the Nittany Lions’ is their 3-point defense, only allowing their opponents to shoot 19.7% (2nd in the nation) from behind the arc. The Aggies aren’t a great shooting team (29.6 3P%), but they are shutting down formidable shooters like Radford, and fellow guard Hayden Hefner will be critical.

To pull off the upset, Penn State must show up again on the defensive end, especially rebounding. Forwards [autotag]Puff Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] have struggled so far this season, and getting them going would be huge against Texas A&M.

The Nittany Lions will play Florida Atlantic or Butler on Friday, depending on the outcomes of both games. Penn State’s final game will be on Sunday, with the championship game being at 1 p.m. VCU, Iowa State, Boise State, and Virginia Tech make up the other half of the bracket. All games will air on ESPN’s network of stations.

Here is the full schedule for the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational.

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Penn State men’s basketball dominates Morehead State for 4-0 start

Penn State men’s basketball will head to its Thanksgiving weekend tournament wiht a clean 4-0 record.

Penn State picked up another win on the basketball court to start the Mike Rhoades era in State College on Friday night. Penn State had no problem with visiting Morehead State in a 74-51 victory in the Bryce Jordan Center with the defense forcing 29 turnovers by the Eagles.

Penn State had a double-double performance from [autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] with 14 points and 12 rebounds. [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] also added 14 points and [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] contributed 12 points with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in the win. [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] drained 3 three-point shots on 6 attempts to lead the Nittany Lions from behind the arc. Penn State also hit on 30 of 38 free-throw attempts in the game.

Penn State capitalized on Morehead State’s defenses by outscoring Morehead State 32-2 on points off turnovers. Penn State turned the basketball over 8 times in the game.

Penn State will now head to Orlando to participate in this year’s ESPN Events Invitational. Their first game will be a rematch from the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament last March against Texas A&M. Penn State eliminated the Aggies from the tournament in their first-round matchup in March. The Aggies are no. 15 in the latest USA TODAY Men’s College Basketball Coaches Poll and will arrive in Orlando with a 3-0 record, which includes a road win at Ohio State.

Penn State will face Texas A&M on Thanksgiving (Nov. 23) at 12:00 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN.

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Penn State basketball is 3-0 after dominant win over St. Francis

Kanye Clary led a balanced scoring attack and the Nittany Lions defense clamped down on St. Francis in a lopsided home victory.

After getting a bit of a battle from one in-state opponent Friday night against Lehigh, the Penn State men’s basketball team wasted no time in setting the tone against St. Francis (Pa.) on Tuesday night in the Bryce Jordan Center. [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] led the Nittany Lions with 14 points in an 83-53 victory over the Red Flash.

Penn State had a balanced attack from start to finish. Four players ended in double figures. [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] each had 12 points and [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] added 11 points. Wahab also had 6 rebounds to lead the Nittany Lions. [autotag]Demetrius Lilly[/autotag] picked up four offensive rebounds in his 10 minutes of game time. He also scored a career-high 8 points.

Penn State saw the debut of North Carolina transfer [autotag]Puff Johnson[/autotag]. Johnson came off the bench and scored 6 points and 4 rebounds in 16 minutes.

Penn State jumped all over St. Francis from the opening tipoff by running out to a 10-2 lead in the opening minutes. After St. Francis finally put some point son the scoreboard four minutes in, Penn State went on an 18-2 run. The defense was masterful against the Red Flash and never allowed for a chance to crawl back into this one.

Next up for Penn State is one final home game before heading to Florida for a Thanksgiving weekend tournament. Penn State hosts Morehead State on Friday night. Morehead State will come to State College with a 2-2 record that includes losses to Alabama and Purdue and wins over Shawnee State (Ohio) and Mercer.

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Penn State basketball dominates Delaware State in season opener

Penn State men’s basketball opens the Mike Rhoades era with a dominating win.

Penn State couldn’t have asked for a better start to their season and to get the Mike Rhoades era officially underway.

Facing a Delaware State squad who struggled mightily last season, this was a game that the Nittany Lions should have dominated based on the talent on their roster.

But winning the game 79-45 in the fashion they did was a statement that this new brand of basketball is here.

With just under three minutes into the game, Penn State led 5-4, getting off to a slow start. Then, they flipped the switch and went on a 21-2 run and held a 26-6 lead 13 minutes into the game.

After that extended run, the Nittany Lions never looked back. They went into halftime with a 39-18 lead.

The transfer players that came into the program during the offseason got much of the headlines, and for good reason, but it was the returners [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] who played a major role to start.

Brown was the leading scorer at half with 11 points and Clary added seven with two rebounds and an assist. Temple transfer [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] showed off his shooting prowess by hitting three three-pointers before half.

In the second half, it was much of the same for Penn State. They maintained their huge lead and the game never got under single digits.

The Nittany Lions shot 49.1% from the field, efficiently carving up the Delaware State defense. They also shot the deep ball well, hitting 12 threes on 37.5% shooting.

Havoc will be the defensive philosophy under Rhoades and they were able to force 23 total turnovers and stole the ball 11 times. They also held Delaware State to 28.8% shooting and 1-16 from three.

Clary finished the game as the leading scorer with 22 points, while also pulling down seven rebounds. Brown was second with 20 and Hicks finished with 12.

The VCU transfers [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern[/autotag] struggled in their first game with Penn State, combining to go 2-10 from the floor for nine points.

[autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag], the 6’11” center, grabbed 13 rebounds and showed Penn State fans what it’s like to have legitimate size on the floor.

Yes, this game was against Delaware State, but it was still a great start for the Nittany Lions under their new coach.

Penn State men’s basketball 2023-24 roster

Here is a look at every player on Penn State men’s basketball roster for the first season under head coach Mike Rhoades.

Penn State will have a new look on the roster for the 2023-24 season. A new head coach and significant roster turnover, including losing two players to the NBA, have led to a roster with a number of transfer players plugging roster holes for the 2023-24 season.

Penn State’s roster includes a total of 10 players who have come from the transfer portal, with a number being added to the roster since the end of last season. That includes star guard Ace Baldwin Jr., one of the top players Rhoades had on his roster at VCU before moving to Penn State. Penn State also added transfers from North Carolina, Lafayette, Miami, and Temple this offseason.

Here is a look at Penn State’s men’s basketball roster for the 2023-24 season.