UNIVERSITY PARK — Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 25 points and distributed 11 assists and Yanic Konan Niederhauser recorded a double-double and Penn State beat Purdue Fort Wayne, 102-89, on Wednesday night.
Konan Niederhauser scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Zach Hicks scored 17 points, reserve Nick Kern Jr. 13 and Freddie Dilione V and Puff Johnson had 11 apiece.
Undefeated Penn State (5-0) shot 34 of 61 (55.7%), distributing 25 assists.
Jalen Jackson scored a career-high 31 points, reserve Corey Handnot II scored a career-high 20 and Eric Mulder 12 on 6-of-8 shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds for the Mastodons.
Purdue Fort Wayne made 12 of 28 (42.9%) from 3-point range.
Baldwin’s 3-pointer with 13 minutes remaining gave the Nittany Lions a 64-62 lead, and they led for the remainder. Hicks’ 3 with 8:21 left gave Penn State its first double-digit advantage of the game at 81-69.
Purdue Fort Wayne built a 47-36 lead late in the first half when it outscored the Nittany Lions 16-7 in just under three minutes. Quinton Morton-Robertson buried a 3, and Baldwin sank a pair of free throws to reduce the deficit and Purdue Fort Wayne led 47-41 at halftime.
The Nittany Lions are 5-0 for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
