Tag: Zach Hicks

Penn State basketball drops home game to Michigan State (photos)

Penn State was unable to come from behind against Michigan State at home on Wednesday evening.

Things did not go according to plan for Penn State men’s basketball on Wednesday evening. In a season where Penn State has been far more successful at home, the Nittany Lions dug a big hole in the first half against Michigan State and was unable to pull off a comeback in an 80-72 loss in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Michigan State’s Malik Hall scored a career-high 29 points and Penn State had a rough night shooting the ball. Each time Penn State seemed to have a run in them in the second half, Michigan State had an answer to pull away. [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] each scored 15 points for the Nittany Lions and [autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] added 14 points.

Here are some of the best photos from the game.

Best photos from Penn State basketball’s major win at Indiana

Here are the best photos from Penn State’s first men’s basketball win at Indiana since 2014!

Wins for Penn State basketball come few and far between when playing on the road against the Indiana Hoosiers. But on Saturday, Penn State’s decade-long drought came to an end in Bloomington with a stunning second-half performance leading to an 85-71 victory. It was just the second road win of the season for Penn State, and both came in the same week!

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State basketball’s major road win at Indiana on Saturday afternoon.

Penn State basketball picks up massive road win over Indiana

Penn State basketball storms out of Indiana with massive Big Ten win.

For much of the season, Penn State had been a completely different team on the road compared to at home playing in the Bryce Jordan Center.

This week was going to be a huge test for the Nittany Lions as they had two consecutive road games at tough places to play.

They earned a gritty victory over Rutgers and headed out to Indiana for a massive Saturday matchup and to play in a place they hadn’t won since 2014.

Once again, Penn State would have to compete without their leading scorer [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag], and once again, they were able to pull off an upset win.

This might have been the most complete game the Nittany Lions have played all season, beating the Indiana Hoosiers 85-71.

It started out tough, getting into a 10-point hole about seven minutes into the game. That deficit largely stayed for the majority of the first half, until three-pointers started to fall and they entered halftime down 41-37.

Penn State took their first lead of the game just about four minutes into the second half after back-to-back threes from [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] to make it 45-43.

Similarly to what they did against Rutgers, once the Nittany Lions grabbed the lead, they never gave it back.

Their defense stifled much of what Indiana could do in the second half and allowed their offense to continue operating at a high level.

Baldwin was spectacular, scoring 22 points on 8-14 shooting while adding eight assists, but it was the role players who stepped up in big way and got Penn State an important Quad 2 victory.

Hicks had his best game in a Nittany Lions jersey. He made four threes on 50-percent shooting, finishing with 19 points, five rebounds and two steals.

[autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] lit it up coming off the bench, hitting four threes of his own to score 14 points.

[autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] continues to give Penn State the much-needed size they’ve been missing. Not only did he battle inside, but he was an offensive threat in the post, scoring 14 points, while also pulling down seven rebounds.

Coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] has said he thinks this team is close, no matter how things have looked to begin the year.

It seems like he was right as the Nittany Lions picked up their second consecutive road win.

Best photos from Penn State’s upset over no. 8 Wisconsin

Re-live Penn State basketball’s upset of Wisconsin with the best photos from the game.

Penn State’s roller-coaster season continued to experience a new high on Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions handed no. 8 Wisconsin their first loss of the Big Ten season with an 87-83 victory over the Badgers in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Here are some of the best photos from the big win for the Nittany Lions. Kanye Clary led all players in the game with 27 points and Ace Baldwin Jr. added a 20-point effort in the home victory. Baldwin was locked in from beyond the three-point line as he connected on four of his five attempts from three. Penn State led Wisconsin by four points at halftime and stayed even with the BAdgers in a back-and-forth second half.

Penn State heads back on the road, which has not been kind to the Nittany Lions this season, when they face Ohio State on Saturday in Columbus. Penn State took the first game in the regular season against the Buckeyes with a home win in December during the early portion of the Big Ten schedule.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s big night against Wisconsin.

Photos from Penn State basketball’s home win vs. Le Moyne

Penn State continued to thrive at home in a win over Le Moyne to get back to .500. Here are the best photos from the game.

Penn State men’s basketball evened its record on Thursday night with a 72-55 victory over visiting Le Moyne. Kanye Clary’s 20-point effort helped lead the way to the win as Penn State improved to 6-6 on the season and rebounded from a weekend loss to Georgia Tech in Madison Square Garden.

Penn State led by as many as 21 points in the first half before a Le Moyne run cut into the lead. Le Moyne got as close as 10 points in the second half before Penn State pulled away down the stretch.

Next up for Penn State is one final non-conference game on the schedule before continuing the rest of the year in Big Ten play. Penn State will host Rider on Friday, Dec. 29 for a mid-afternoon contest in the Bryce Jordan Center at 2:00 p.m. ET.

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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.

ESPN Events Invitational: Best photos of Penn State vs. Texas A&M

Check out the best photos from Penn State’s ESPN Events Invitational opener against Texas A&M.

Penn State came up short in the opening game of the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational down in Florida on Thanksgiving, losing to no. 13 Texas A&M by a score of 89-77. It was a good test for the new-look Nittany Lions and despite coming up with the first loss of the season, Penn State showed some good fight against the Aggies.

Penn State will take on Butler in the consolation round on Friday afternoon. Butler was defeated by FAU, a Final Four team from last season. It will also be the second year in a row Penn State will face Butler. The Nittany Lions topped the Bulldogs in last year’s Gavitt Tipoff Games

Here are some of the best photos available from Penn State’s basketball game against Texas A&M in 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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