November ended on a sour note for Penn State, which hopes to return to the win column Saturday afternoon when Bucknell pays a visit to University Park, Pa.
The Nittany Lions (4-3) began the season with four straight victories before concluding November with a trio of double-digit defeats at the ESPN Events Invitational. Most recently, Penn State fell to Virginia Commonwealth 86-74 despite Ace Baldwin Jr.’s 27 points and five assists.
“I hope they’re really mad. They should be mad. They better be mad,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said this week. “But also, you could be upset and mad, but you’ve got to come in here with an open mind and a clear mind that it’s all about getting better.”
In fact, a trip home might be the perfect remedy for Penn State, which has won 12 straight nonconference games at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Baldwin is second on the team in scoring (14.0) behind Kanye Clary (16.7), who missed most of the matchup against VCU due to an elbow injury.
Bucknell (2-7) is coming off an 85-71 defeat against Princeton on Wednesday in which Jack Forrest scored 21 points and Josh Bascoe chipped in 14. The Bison led by five points at halftime and still were ahead with under seven minutes remaining before the game slipped away down the stretch.
“We’re capable of competing with high-level basketball programs right now. … We have enough talent to win basketball games like this. Now we just have to continue to clean up some of the things that hurt us,” said Bucknell coach John Griffin III, who cited his team’s turnovers, among other issues.
Forrest leads the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game and has made 24 3-pointers – more than twice as many as any of his teammates. Elvin Edmonds IV, who ranks second on the squad in scoring (10.0), has missed the last five games with a leg injury.
This will be the 105th meeting between the teams. Penn State leads the all-time series 79-25, including a 15-1 mark in the last 16 matchups.
–Field Level Media