Penn State walked off the court Saturday with a loss for the fifth consecutive game.
Penn State has dropped nine of its last 10 and remains winless on the road in the Big Ten after losing to UCLA, 78-54, at Pauley Pavilion.
The first 10 minutes of the first half were competitive, as PSU used a 7-0 run to gain an early 11-8 advantage. UCLA then responded with a 22-9 burst fueled by its defense. Over the seven minutes and seven seconds of that run, the Bruins turned five Nittany Lions turnovers into 10 points, securing a double-digit lead.
PSU continued to battle, pulling within six, but it would trail by 13 at halftime.
To start the second, Ace Baldwin Jr. scored his first five points during an 8-0 run, trimming Penn Stateโs deficit to five. UCLA quickly ended that run as a Tyler Bilodeau layup sparked a 17-2 scoring run for the Bruins, distancing themselves by 20 on the scoreboard.
Turnovers were the name of the game, as Mick Croninโs group won that margin 4-18 and outpaced Penn State in points off turnovers 24-0.
ACE BALDWIN JR.’S STRUGGLES
Saturdayโs game was a continuation of Baldwin Jr.โs recent struggles since he returned from and dealt with a back injury. Baldwin Jr. finished with nine points and, for the first time in three years, didnโt record an assist. A confounding statistic when considering he averages the fourth most in Division I basketball (7.7).
After his first two games back from injury โ games in which he scored 20 points both times โ Baldwin Jr. has averaged 10.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.4 turnovers on 35/35/100 shooting splits. While he is perfect from the free-throw line during this stretch, his attempts have dropped from 5.7 before his injury to 2. That drop-off could signify a lack of ability and/or willingness to attack the basket aggressively, which was something he did against Michigan State (11-for-12).
Baldwin Jr. is the heart and soul of this team, and his lack of production, albeit not of his own volition, leaves Penn State with little to no answers for course correction.
HOWโD THE FRESHMEN LOOK?
Injuries have forced Mike Rhoades to dig deeper into his rotation than he has all season. With Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Puff Johnson both out for Saturdayโs game, Rhoades decided to lean on two of his freshmen more.
Miles Goodman
First off the bench was Miles Goodman, who tallied four points, one assist and three rebounds in nearly 17 minutes of action. While it wasnโt a showstopping performance by any means, Goodman continued to show defensive engagement and activity. He fights on post-ups, forcing catches beyond the paint, as he did here against Bilodeau:
All Rhoades wants and expects from Goodman is to impact winning, and his effort on defense will do that. However, against UCLA, his overeagerness to help and protect the paint led to two quality shots:
Offensively, Goodmanโs motor carries over. On the play below, watch how quickly he reverses the ball and flows into screening action with Jahvin Carter:
This type of liveliness and quick decision-making is promising for the future of this program, especially as Goodman continues to grow as a playmaker.
Dominick Stewart
Itโs been a struggle for Dominick Stewart to find consistent minutes in Rhoadesโ rotation. On Saturday, he was the second freshman to get minutes and led all three in scoring.
It wasnโt an efficient night for the first-year guard, but it was his most productive in nearly two months. Stewart finished with seven points (3-for-8 shooting) in 18 minutes. His aggressiveness, especially on his first three possessions, stood out most.
Stewart first beat Sebastian Mack off the bounce and got an angle to the rim but was bumped off his line. The result was a turnover instead of a layup or dunk.
He hesitated on a missed 3-pointer on his next possession but made up for it on his following opportunity. He sought the ball out and took Dylan Andrews off the bounce for a side-step two.
Then, when the defense went under a Goodman screen, Stewart confidently stepped into a pull-up 3 (listen to the UCLA coaching staff yell).
Stewart would miss four of his next five shots (broken up by this layup he kissed off the top of the glass) but showed no signs of discouragement. Thatโs big especially since he had gotten zero minutes in three of the last seven games.
โHe plays really hard,โ Rhoades said postgame. โIt’s amazing when you play hard, you find the basket and you find the ball โฆ He’s going to make some freshman mistakes. I just think he’s going to be a really good player for us.โ
Penn State will stay in the Los Angeles area for a matchup with USC on Tuesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m.
