Kanye Clary authored a 29-point performance Friday afternoon to lift Penn State to a comfortable 90-63 home victory over Rider in University Park, Pa.
Clary knocked down 12 of 16 shots to lead four players in double figures for the Nittany Lions (7-6), who looked strong in their final nonconference game before tipping off Big Ten play next week against Michigan State and Michigan.
D’Marco Dunn pitched in 12 points for Penn State, while Puff Johnson and Ace Baldwin Jr. added 10 points apiece. Baldwin registered nine assists for the Nittany Lions, who shot 54.5 percent from the field and 23-of-28 from the foul line.
Mervin James had 19 points and six rebounds to pace the Broncs (3-10), who missed 14 of their 16 3-pointers as part of a 37.3 percent shooting performance. Allen Powell chipped in 10 points for Rider.
Penn State scored eight of the game’s first 10 points and took its first double-digit lead at 14-4 less than nine minutes into the contest. Shortly thereafter, an 11-0 run by the Nittany Lions gave the hosts firm control of the game.
Clary began that key surge with a layup before Qudus Wahab and Johnson each made a bucket. Mitchell then converted a 3-pointer and a layup on back-to-back trips to make it 26-6 with 7:17 left in the half.
The Broncs then registered six straight points before the Nittany Lions poured in 13 of the next 15 to expand the advantage to 39-14. Clary scored seven points during that run, including a three-point play.
Rider went on a mini-run late in the session to get within 44-24 at the break.
The Broncs got within 68-56 with roughly eight minutes remaining in the contest before the Nittany Lions gained some separation. Baldwin and Dunn knocked down two foul shots apiece and Dunn drained a 3-pointer to fuel a 15-0 run that ended any hopes of a comeback.
–Field Level Media