Penn State mauls Binghamton in season-opening blowout, 108-66
Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades entered his program’s season-opener with Binghamton with optimism. Hosting the Bears at the Bryce Jordan Center, his Nittany Lions had finished six weeks of preseason demonstrating the depth, length, and talent his staff had worked so diligently to assemble in the spring and summer.
“I think a lot of guys throughout the preseason have really contributed, impacted the program and have given us a lot of different ways we can play in different lineups. Just in our second year, the level of depth that we have in the program is something I’m really proud of,” said Rhoades. “I give credit to our staff in recruiting. Give credit to our staff in the development part. And then, so much credit to the players working very hard this offseason going into this season. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
In every sense for the Nittany Lions, it was.
Running roughshod over an outmatched Binghamton outfit, Penn State notched a 108-66 win to open the 2024-25 campaign. The Nittany Lions are 1-0 on the year, set to face UMBC on Friday evening back at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Zach Hicks led all scorers with 22 points for the Nittany Lions on 9-of-12 shooting, hitting 4-of-6 shots from beyond the arc. Transfer big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser, a versatile 7-footer from Northern Illinois, began his Penn State career with flair. His 16 points were second, leading the way at the free throw line and adding a team-high seven rebounds to his stat line.
“I never want to get it down to any number. It’s the other way for us and the way I play,” said Rhoades. “The old school approach is down to six, seven, eight guys. That’s their approach. I’m the other way around. I want to have everybody be able to find a way to contribute and impact winning. And then we can continue to play our style longer than anybody else. I want to play 10, 11 guys.
“There’s got to be a level of sacrifice when you have a deep roster. But that could give you a great opportunity to play differently. Have different guys on different nights step up to help you win. It’s great in development, even throughout the season.”
(More coming following Rhoades’ postgame press conference.)
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