STATE COLLEGE, Pa. โ Penn Stateโs aggressive pressing defense was key in its 108-66 win over the visiting Binghamton Bearcats on Monday night.ย
PSU shot 51.5 percent from the field while forcing 21 turnovers and holding Binghamton to 43 percent shooting.
Zach Hicks led all scorers with 22 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting. Yanic Konan Niederhauser tallied 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Ace Baldwin shot nearly perfectly from three (4-for-5) on his way to 15 points, 4 assists and two steals. D’Marco Dunn rounded out the double-digit scorers for Penn State with 12.ย
Both teams got off to a slow start, shooting a combined 6-of-16 over the first 5:30 of the game. Even with those struggles, Penn State was fueled by its defense to pull away early.ย
In the first half alone, Binghamton was forced into 14 turnovers, which was only exasperated when Nick Kern Jr. (8 points/5 rebounds/4 assists/2 blocks/4 steals), Jahvin Carter and Dunn entered the game for the first time.ย
From the 14:51 mark on, Penn State outscored Binghamton 44-15, forcing 12 turnovers over that stretch. PSU tallied 10 steals in the first half with Dunn (3) and Kern (3) accounting for six combined.ย
At the intermission, the Nittany Lions held the Bearcats to 32 percent shooting and scored 22 points off turnovers, bringing the score to 54-23. Baldwin went a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and had two takeaways. Niederhauserโs size was too much from the get-go, as he scored 12 points (8/12 free throws) and snagged five rebounds.ย
In the second half, Penn State made its first five shots, three of which came from deep courtesy of Baldwin and Hicks (13 points in the second). The lead ballooned to 37 three minutes into the half, unofficially putting an end to the game.
PSU’s next game will be against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Friday at 6 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center.
