Penn State men’s basketball (4-0) outmatched Virginia Tech (3-1) 86-64 in the Hall of Fame Series in Baltimore on Friday night.
In his return to his hometown, Ace Baldwin Jr. tallied 19 points, 10 assists, and three steals to lead the Nittany Lions.
How It Happened
Yanic Konan Niederhauser went up for the tip, but the jump ball was won by the Hokies. Virginia Tech guard Jaden Schutt didn’t connect on his first attempt from inside the arc, so Freddie Dilione sealed the first points of the game with a triple.
Baldwin tallied his first conversions of his homecoming game with back-to-back jumpers to move to an immediate 7-2 lead in Baltimore.
Zach Hicks then sent a smoking attempt from the corner to tally another triple ahead of the first media timeout.
Following a Baldwin turnover and a scoreless Hokie possession, Hicks drilled a second three from the corner to continue a 10-0 run closed out by an and-one opportunity for Nick Kern Jr. The guard missed the extra point and Virginia Tech notched its first three pointer on the following drive.
Puff Johnson and Kern then recorded back-to-back fouls to slow down the pace of play and help the Hokies cut the lead to an eight-point deficit.
Kern ended a near three-minute scoring drought with a roundabout layup and replicated the same play in the following possession thanks to big-time court vision and an assist from Baldwin.
The Nittany Lions led 19-8 midway through the first half and no Hokies tallied significant statistics.
Hicks continued to light up the floor from three-point land and sunk a triple from the top of the key to extend Penn State’s run to 7-0 before Ben Hammond maneuvered an and-one chance out of Baldwin. The Hokie freshman missed the conversion, but Virginia Tech entered the bonus moments later on Baldwin’s second foul.
Konan Niederhauser earned two shots at the charity stripe following a foul from Jaydon Young, though he missed both.
Virginia Tech forward Ben Burnham recorded one of the first big-time plays for the Hokies with a jumper from distance, but the Nittany Lions held onto a seven-point lead for much of the lingering minutes of the first half.
Penn State joined Virginia Tech in the bonus and moved into double bonus shortly after, and just one of Dilione’s shots at the line fell.
While Penn State spent many moments at the foul line, Virginia Tech began to gain momentum with a dunk from Mylyjael Poteat and a three-pointer from Burnham on back-to-back possessions.
The Hokies closed the gap and met Penn State at 26-22, though plenty of free throws helped the blue and white maintain a lead in the ensuing possessions.
Both teams traded possessions and turnovers to close the half at 37-29 after a Penn State surge.
Dilione opened the second half with a triple off an assist from Baldwin, then the 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year went one-for-two from the line to create a 10-point cushion over the Hokies.
Johnson notched the team’s second-straight triple and picked up a foul after manufacturing a turnover.
Penn State led 51-36 at the first media timeout of the latter half.
Baldwin engineered a three-point play, but Virginia Tech answered with an and-one of its own to lock the score at 58-43 in favor of the Nittany Lions.
On the back of a Baldwin steal, D’Marco Dunn added to the scoreboard from the free throw line, and the pace of play on both sides of the court increased significantly midway through the second half.
Baldwin put on a show to tally his second steal in collaboration with Kern as the Nittany Lions began to pull away with a 19-point lead.
Kern nearly scraped together a three-point play but instead just sent Burnham to the bench with his fifth foul.
Johnson picked up his fourth foul and was visibly upset with his performance as he closed out his minutes due to the foul trouble. Just a possession later, Konan Niederhauser fouled out as both teams neared the double bonus.
Hicks re-entered the stat sheet with a triple after a quiet end to the first half and opening of the second for his 16th points. The forward created the Nittany Lions’ largest lead at 20 points and forced the Hokies to reset after the media timeout.
Immediately out of the timeout, though, Hicks drilled another three-pointer to extend Virginia Tech’s three-minute scoring drought.
The remainder of the game played out with Virginia Tech turnovers, Nittany Lions at the line, and two dramatic dunks to seal an 86-64 win for Penn State in Baltimore.
Takeaways
- Yanic Konan Niederhauser registered a slow performance against Virginia Tech after three breakout games to open the season. The 7’0″ forward registered no points and three turnovers against the Hokies compared to team-best averages against Binghamton, UMBC, and Saint Francis. Konan Niederhauser fouled out with five minutes remaining in the matchup.
- Ace Baldwin Jr. quietly posted numbers throughout the game in his return to Baltimore. He never served as the X-factor in the Nittany Lions’ performance but tallied a hearty 19 points and 10 assists through 34 minutes.
- Nick Kern Jr. showcased untapped grit and pace against the Hokies. The senior guard finished the outing with 16 points and shot 85% from the field.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions will return to the Bryce Jordan Center to host Purdue Fort Wayne at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
