Penn State forced 29 turnovers to overcome a poor shooting display Friday as the host Nittany Lions remained unbeaten by disposing of sloppy Morehead State 74-51 at University Park, Pa.
Qudus Wahab (14 points, 12 rebounds), Kanye Clary (14 points) and Ace Baldwin Jr. (12 points) led Penn State in scoring, although the trio combined to shoot 9 of 32 from the field. As a team, the Nittany Lions (4-0) shot just 29.7 percent overall and 6 of 25 from long distance.
Fortunately for them, the Eagles’ offensive display was even worse. Morehead State (2-3) struggled with its shooting from the field (38.1 percent), the 3-point line (4 of 18) and the foul line (15 of 24), not to mention the bevy of turnovers.
Kalil Thomas posted 14 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Eagles.
The story of the first half was Morehead State’s 19 turnovers, which led to 19 points by Penn State.
The Eagles led 19-16 after about 13 minutes before the Nittany Lions unleashed a 16-3 run to take a 10-point lead. Clary had eight points during the stretch, helping the hosts maintain a 37-26 edge at the break.
Penn State only shot 30.3 percent in the first half — 1 of 9 from 3-point range — but the turnovers were the early difference.
Thomas led all scorers with 10 points in the opening session. His teammate, Jordan Lathon, was ejected in the first half for a flagrant foul on Baldwin.
In the second half, the Eagles picked up right where they left off, committing a turnover on their first possession. Wahab cashed in with a layup on the other end, igniting a 7-0 Nittany Lions run. Baldwin drained a 3-pointer and then took advantage of another turnover, dropping in a layup to make it 44-26.
Penn State took its first 20-point lead on Rayquawndis Mitchell’s two free throws that made it 54-33 with 9:18 to play.
The Nittany Lions led by as many as 27 down the stretch.
–Field Level Media