Penn State has bolted out of the blocks following a pair of strong performances from Kanye Clary and Qudus Wahab.
Clary, Wahab and the Nittany Lions aim to continue their sprint under new coach Mike Rhoades on Tuesday when they host St. Francis (Pa.) in University Park, Pa.
Clary scored 22 points in Penn State’s 79-45 romp over Delaware State on Nov. 6 and added 20 more in a 74-65 victory over Lehigh on Friday. He is 15-for-25 from the floor and 3-for-6 from 3-point range.
Wahab followed up his 13-rebound performance versus the Hornets with 11 points and a career-high 18 boards against the Mountain Hawks.
“That’s a man right there, man,” Rhoades said of Wahab’s performance. “Eighteen rebounds — I don’t care … in any college game, if you get 18 rebounds, you’re working. I’m really proud of him.”
Wahab, listed at 6-foot-11 and 245 pounds, was pleased with the effort that ultimately resulted in his first double-double with the Nittany Lions (2-0).
“I’m just trying to bring great energy and go after as many as I can,” Wahab said. “It’s my last year in college, so why not?”
While Penn State is pleased with its start to the season, St. Francis (0-3) likely is singing a much different tune.
The Red Flash had 30-plus point setbacks to UCLA and San Francisco before falling 82-59 to Santa Clara on Saturday.
“For the most part, we made some shots; we had some guys make some plays off the bench. And that’s progress,” St. Francis coach Rob Krimmel said following the loss to the Broncos. “Let’s dive into some areas that we need to clean up as we work to establish our identity and with this group. It’s still a work in progress with that identity, but I’m proud of the way they competed.”
Cam Gregory recorded 12 points and four assists against Santa Clara. He is averaging a team-leading 9.7 points per game.
–Field Level Media