Penn State Played With More ‘Freedom’ and ‘Spirit’ Vs. Nebraska, Mike Rhoades Says

For the first time in a month, the ball got “hot” for Penn State basketball Wednesday night. The Nittany Lions raced past Nebraska 89-72 to end a seven-game losing streak and show some light flickering in the program. For Penn State coach Mike Rhoades, it was a welcome sight.

“I just thought for a stretch we were just playing with so much pressure,” Rhoades told reporters after the game at the Bryce Jordan Center. “You could see it. And when it doesn’t go well, you’ve got to work through that, and some guys are better than others with it. … I thought today we played with more freedom and more sprit, and you saw that.”

Penn State (14-13) hasn’t entirely righted its course after losing 11 of 12 games and falling into last place in the Big Ten standings. However, with four regular-season games left (three on the road), the Nittany Lions still have a chance to make the Big Ten Tournament. Wednesday’s first step was critical.

“I thought for most of the game we played the right way,” Rhoades said. “We really attacked. That ball was hot today. We set the tone of the game with our defense in the full court to the half-court. We’ve been through a tough stretch, and to get to where you want to go, you’ve got to go through struggles. And we had a long struggle, and I’m just really proud of our approach today.”

Penn State did a bunch of good stuff, so something good happened. The Nittany Lions scored a season-high 89 points in a Big Ten game. They shot 60.7 percent from the field, their first Big Ten game above 60 percent since 2007. Six players scored in double figures, with Yanic Konan Niederhauser making his first five shots and getting 19.

Zach Hicks tied his season-high with five 3-pointers in scoring 19 as well. But Rhoades pointed to his defense, which pressed more and forced 11 first-half turnovers to establish the tone.

“We had to find different ways to get going here and create some juice,” Rhoades said. “And I thought the press did that.”

Most important, Rhoades saw his team play like one against Nebraska.

“I think sometimes when you have adversity, [you think], ‘I’ve got to do this’ and you lose seeing the game,” Rhoades said. “You take an extra dribble or you hold it a little bit longer or you force something that’s not there instead of saying, ‘Hey, he’s open, let him go.’ And then he goes to work and makes the right play. Sometimes it’s just that right there, and you play with a clearer mind and that ball gets moving. Nobody cares who gets the credit and nobody’s like, ‘I’ve got to make a play for us.'”

Noteworthy

• Ace Baldwin Jr. recorded his 800th career assist in the first half. He also made six steals for the second consecutive game. Baldwin has 330 career assists, tied for 21st on the NCAA’s all-time list.

• D’Marco Dunn scored 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting for his fifth game in double figures over his last seven.

• Niederhauser scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half, leading Penn State to a 23-point lead at halftime.

• Hicks led Penn State in the second half, scoring 11 of his 19 points. He made three 3-pointers in the last eight minutes.