With the first Penn State game of 2025, a new era began, and anticipation was high about how an offseason of change would unfold on the hardwood in the Nittany Lions' first game of the season, where they faced Fairfield.
The change was imminent from the start, as Penn State began last season with a completely revamped starting five in its first game and a roster in which a majority of players made their Penn State debuts. This year, the blue and white’s first starting five of the season featured Kayden Mingo, Dominick Stewart, Eli Rice, Josh Reed and Saša Ciani.
Despite the fresh faces, Penn State fell behind early as the new lineup struggled to mesh and keep pace with the Stags' fluidity.
This led coach Mike Rhoades to make an early change, as Ivan Jurić and Freddie Dilione V subbed in with 16:48 to play, after Fairfield had a 9-0 lead on four of seven from the field while the Nittany Lions made no shots on three attempts from the field.
The subs took time, but panned out, as Jurić notched the blue and white’s first point of the season on a lay off the glass inside, yet the Nittany Lions still fell behind, 15-2, causing Rhoades to call an early timeout at 15:10.
However, this would be Fairfield’s largest lead of the game, as Penn State, led by Mingo and Dillone as primary ball handlers, went on a dominant run to tie the game at 17 at the midpoint of the first half.
Penn State and Fairfield went back and forth from there, as Rhoades' squad continued an effervescent press-and-trap defense in an attempt to generate turnovers.
This pressing frenzy had its moments of excellence but also flaws, as a Fairfield squad that retained half its players from last season had the chemistry needed to execute quick ball movement and take shots before the Lions could close out.
At halftime, Penn State and Fairfield were tied at 37, with guard play accounting for most of the points, yet in very different ways. For the Stags, it was senior veteran guard Braden Sparks with a game-high 16 points with four threes at that point, while Mingo appeared to be all that was advertised.
The Farmingdale, N.Y, native and Melih Tunca both had a team-high ten points at the half, as both showed great scoring inside the arc. The blue and white only went 2-8 from three, with Rice contributing both makes.
Fairfield came out strong after the half, getting to the Nittany Lions inside the paint, as a unit of Mingo, Rice, Ciani, and Tunca saw action, with Jurić and Reed rotating in.
The blue and white kept it close, but given the nature of the game, it should’ve been a different story.
At 11:58 left to go in the second half, the Nittany Lions had only shot 46.7 percent from the free-throw line. With these woes from the charity stripe, the blue and white were also unable to take a lead as both squads struggled again from behind the arc.
Fairfield shifted focus from Sparks for scoring, instead allowing freshman Brandon Benjamin to take control and drive to the cup with tough layups, as the blue and white struggled to find an answer for the forward on defense.
As the game entered the final half, neither team could retake the lead, and the game was tied at 56 with just under 8 minutes to play.
Fairfield had seized momentum for a second time with a trio of offensive rebounds, but the back-and-forth scoring again continued as the Stags had only a six-point lead with under four minutes to play.
Then, 7-footer Jurić drained a three and then a tip-in to cut the lead to one. Quickly made jumpers from both squads saw the game tied at 68, with Penn State taking the lead on a contested Mingo and one layup with 1:27 to play.
At this point, the energy in the Bryce Jordan Center was at a high, causing the blue and white defense to get the necessary game-sealing turnover courtesy of a Tunca steal. From there, the blue and white rode the crowd's energy to a win.
At the final buzzer of the Nittany Lions' first game, the scoreboard read 76-68 in Penn State’s favor. The game featured 12 score ties and 13 lead changes.
For the Nittany Lions, Mingo, Rice, Juric, and Tunca all notched double-digit points in their first games for Penn State. Forward Tibor Mirtič also led the squad with 11 rebounds in his debut.
The change was imminent from the start, as Penn State began last season with a completely revamped starting five in its first game and a roster in which a majority of players made their Penn State debuts. This year, the blue and white’s first starting five of the season featured Kayden Mingo, Dominick Stewart, Eli Rice, Josh Reed and Saša Ciani.
Despite the fresh faces, Penn State fell behind early as the new lineup struggled to mesh and keep pace with the Stags' fluidity.
This led coach Mike Rhoades to make an early change, as Ivan Jurić and Freddie Dilione V subbed in with 16:48 to play, after Fairfield had a 9-0 lead on four of seven from the field while the Nittany Lions made no shots on three attempts from the field.
The subs took time, but panned out, as Jurić notched the blue and white’s first point of the season on a lay off the glass inside, yet the Nittany Lions still fell behind, 15-2, causing Rhoades to call an early timeout at 15:10.
However, this would be Fairfield’s largest lead of the game, as Penn State, led by Mingo and Dillone as primary ball handlers, went on a dominant run to tie the game at 17 at the midpoint of the first half.
Penn State and Fairfield went back and forth from there, as Rhoades' squad continued an effervescent press-and-trap defense in an attempt to generate turnovers.
This pressing frenzy had its moments of excellence but also flaws, as a Fairfield squad that retained half its players from last season had the chemistry needed to execute quick ball movement and take shots before the Lions could close out.
At halftime, Penn State and Fairfield were tied at 37, with guard play accounting for most of the points, yet in very different ways. For the Stags, it was senior veteran guard Braden Sparks with a game-high 16 points with four threes at that point, while Mingo appeared to be all that was advertised.
The Farmingdale, N.Y, native and Melih Tunca both had a team-high ten points at the half, as both showed great scoring inside the arc. The blue and white only went 2-8 from three, with Rice contributing both makes.
Fairfield came out strong after the half, getting to the Nittany Lions inside the paint, as a unit of Mingo, Rice, Ciani, and Tunca saw action, with Jurić and Reed rotating in.
The blue and white kept it close, but given the nature of the game, it should’ve been a different story.
At 11:58 left to go in the second half, the Nittany Lions had only shot 46.7 percent from the free-throw line. With these woes from the charity stripe, the blue and white were also unable to take a lead as both squads struggled again from behind the arc.
Fairfield shifted focus from Sparks for scoring, instead allowing freshman Brandon Benjamin to take control and drive to the cup with tough layups, as the blue and white struggled to find an answer for the forward on defense.
As the game entered the final half, neither team could retake the lead, and the game was tied at 56 with just under 8 minutes to play.
Fairfield had seized momentum for a second time with a trio of offensive rebounds, but the back-and-forth scoring again continued as the Stags had only a six-point lead with under four minutes to play.
Then, 7-footer Jurić drained a three and then a tip-in to cut the lead to one. Quickly made jumpers from both squads saw the game tied at 68, with Penn State taking the lead on a contested Mingo and one layup with 1:27 to play.
At this point, the energy in the Bryce Jordan Center was at a high, causing the blue and white defense to get the necessary game-sealing turnover courtesy of a Tunca steal. From there, the blue and white rode the crowd's energy to a win.
At the final buzzer of the Nittany Lions' first game, the scoreboard read 76-68 in Penn State’s favor. The game featured 12 score ties and 13 lead changes.
For the Nittany Lions, Mingo, Rice, Juric, and Tunca all notched double-digit points in their first games for Penn State. Forward Tibor Mirtič also led the squad with 11 rebounds in his debut.