Penn State throttles UMBC, 103-54, showing off size, depth

Penn State entered its second game of the 2024-25 campaign with a sizable advantage over visiting UMBC. The Retrievers, led by former Nittany Lions’ interim coach Jim Ferry, had no answer for this year’s combination of size and skill.

Led by a game-high 18 points from big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Penn State earned a dominant win over UMBC at the Bryce Jordan Center, 103-54. The Nittany Lions improved to 2-0 on the new season. They’ll face Saint Francis (Pa.) on Tuesday night back at the BJC (7 p.m.)

And, for the second time in two tries to begin the season, Penn State eclipsed the 100-point threshold en route to the win. A point of emphasis for the program during the offseason, the Nittany Lions’ high-octane attack once again yielded results.

“Everybody loves the number, right? But to me, it’s about them seeing the ball go in. The ball is going in the right way. We’re sharing it; we had 21 assists today on 37 baskets. We got steals. Instead of someone being selfish trying to get to the rim, they’re passing and looking for their teammates. We had transition threes today because guys gave the ball up. We threw it in the post and also came out,” said Rhoades. “So when the ball is hot and everybody’s getting a piece of it, I think that creates confidence, and you start seeing that ball. When guys share the ball and you go from good shots to great shots, the rim gets bigger, the hoop gets bigger. They can see that.

“But there’s a joy to this team the way they play. We need adversity. We need some games coming up that are going to create some adversity. We went through a little bit in the game. We’re not up 10-0 to start the game. That’s the stuff we need to go through. But I do think the guys sharing the ball, and you see that ball goes in, it creates great confidence for you.

Over 24 minutes of complete dominance, Niederhauser demonstrated as much. Going 8-of-12 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, the new Nittany Lion put into action the potential what Penn State’s coaching staff believed was possible for him before his arrival from Northern Illinois this summer.

“You haven’t seen anything yet. He’s got so much more potential and so much more ability. I think if he hangs out with Ace and Nick and those guys, he is only going to get better and better,” said Rhoades. “He just has a great feel. He grew up in Europe playing, he played against pros for a long, long time. And he just has a great feel how to play basketball the right way.

“But the other thing is, he is a big guy that can really move. He plays on his toes, can cover ground. His second jump for a big kid that size. And he’s really strong in his trunk. So he’s got a lot of different ways, but he can step away from the basket and be very comfortable with the ball, too. He’s just getting better and better, and as he continues to get our mentality and our grit, the sky’s the limit for the kid.”

Niederhauser’s contributions were not alone in the thorough win for the Nittany Lions. Joined by four other double-figures scorers including D’Marco Dunn (16 points), Zach Hicks (12 pts), Jahvin Carter (12 pts), and Nick Kern (10 pts), Niederhauser led an effort in which his team consistently took advantage of turnovers (17 for 22 points off of them) and scored in the paint (52 points) with 23 points scored in transition.

Tip-ins

Friday night’s game was something of a homecoming for the man leading the Nittany Lions’ opposition. Head coach at UMBC for the past three seasons, Jim Ferry returned to the BJC hardwood he prowled during the 2020-21 season and for three seasons prior. In his first comments to reporters following the win, Rhoades made a special point to acknowledge Ferry’s contribution to the program.

“I just have such great respect for Coach Ferry and how he goes about it, how he runs his team. I just have great respect for him. So I appreciate him bringing his team up here,” said Rhoades. “He’s one of us. He’s a Penn Stater. And as I told the team, you know, that’s one of the guys that kept this thing going when he was here, and the life he gave the program, and his relationship with the former players, with our alumni, is special.

“I wanted to say that publicly, because we get so wound up in the game and all that stuff. The great thing about this game is you run into super people, and he’s on the top of the list. So I wish him and his team a great year, and hope they win the league.”

Penn State basketball box score

---

Talk about it with our premium members in the Lions Den, here!