Penn State basketball dismantles Binghamton for massive season-opening win

Penn State basketball opened the 2024-25 season with a dominating win on Monday night, routing Binghamton 108-66 inside the Bryce Jordan Center.

There was little doubt which direction this contest would ultimately go, as the Nittany Lions used a 27-5 run in the closing minutes of the first half to extend their lead to 26. Taking a 31-point lead into the locker room, the Lions didn’t let off the intensity in the second half.

“Just proud of our guys,” Mike Rhoades said after the game. “I told them it was all about trying to play at a standard. We’re trying to create a Penn State mentality – how we go about things no matter who we play against. And that was my challenge to the guys today. No matter what the score was, play to our mentality that we want to have at all times.”

Penn State basketball knocks down milestones en route to victory

Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

The seventh-largest win in Penn State basketball history, Monday was the first time the Nittany Lions went over the 100-point mark since scoring 102 points in a triple-overtime game against Indiana in 2017. It was the first time Penn State hit the 100-point threshold in regulation since 2009 versus Gardner-Webb.

For the first time since December 2020, the Nittany Lions had six players score double figures. Transfers Yanic Konan Niederhauser (16 points) and Freddie Dilione V (10 points) and freshman Dominick Stewart (10 points) each had double-digit points in their Penn State debuts. Ace Baldwin went 4-5 from three, scoring 15 points on the night.

Zach Hicks led all scorers with 22 points on 9-12 shooting. After the win, Rhoades pointed to the senior forward’s offseason efforts on the defense end of the floor.

“I said this to him in front of the team last week: I don’t know if I ever had one guy in 12 months improve defensively as much as he is now,” Rhoades said. “He’s a hard worker, and he’s very coachable, so that helps. And he wants you to be demanding on him. But just his openness to improve his defense like was flat-out impressive. And he plays really hard and he wants that challenge. And you saw that today.

“And guys who play really hard with a clear head on defense, you get a deflection, you run through a pass, you read a play, and good things happen. So he’s been super. I’m so proud of him.”

Penn State basketball will return to action on Friday, staying at home to face UMBC. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

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