The Mike Rhoades era at Penn State got off to a flying start earlier this week, and the Nittany Lions will look to continue the momentum Friday when they host Lehigh at State College, Pa.
Rhoades took over for Micah Shrewsberry in the offseason and had to be thrilled with his team’s performance in Monday’s season opener. The Nittany Lions shot 49.1 percent from the floor and forced 23 turnovers in a 79-45 rout of Delaware State.
Kanye Clary led Penn State with 22 points after averaging just 3.7 points in 10.4 minutes per game on a veteran Nittany Lions squad a season ago.
“Just the way Coach Rhoades allows me to play, he just gives me a lot of freedom and just tells me to go be me, tells me to push pace,” said Clary, who shot 7 of 11 from the field in the opener. “Just my teammates allowing me to have space on the floor, it’s a lot of great shooters around me, so I was just getting to my spots and the ball just happened to go in tonight.”
The Mountain Hawks were picked to finish second in the Patriot League preseason poll, although their 2023-24 campaign got off to a rough start Monday. They led Cornell by five at halftime before the Big Red rallied for an 84-78 victory.
Tyler Whitney-Sidney had 23 points for Lehigh, while Dominic Parolin chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds. Keith Higgins Jr., the team’s top returning scorer, struggled to the tune of eight points on 3-of-15 shooting.
As a team, the Mountain Hawks shot just 7 of 29 from 3-point range while committing 15 turnovers and 27 fouls.
“It was a high-tempo game where players had to make a lot of decisions, between Cornell’s defensive pressure and trapping and their offensive style,” said Lehigh coach Dr. Brett Reed. “It forced us to be very adaptable, and for a good portion of the night we did a pretty good job with that.”
The series between the Mountain Hawks and Nittany Lions dates back to 1902, although the teams have not met since 2010. Penn State leads the all-time series 31-11.
–Field Level Media