Ace Baldwin Jr. Leads Penn State to a Season Sweep of Indiana
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | With a noon tipoff, a light student attendance and no pep band at the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday, Penn State and Indiana had a quiet setting for a battle of middling teams with minor Big Ten Tournament implications. But then guard Ace Baldwin Jr. and some hot shooting propelled Penn State to an 83-74 win and the program's first regular-season sweep of the Hoosiers since 2009. The Lions have won two straight after upsetting No. 12 Illinois at Rec Hall on Wednesday.
“We know what we need to do. Our instincts are taking over a little bit better, carry over from the scouting report,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said after the win. “So I thought Wednesday got their attention, what [they're] capable of doing, and it wasn't perfect today, but we were more attentive to details.”
Penn State (14-14, 8-9) took advantage of foul trouble by Indiana 7-footer Kel’el Ware, who averaged 15 points and 9.5 rebounds entering the day. He picked up two fouls late in the first half and went to the bench, sparking an 8-1 Penn State run into the break and a 40-33 lead.
Baldwin scored all eight of those Penn State points en route to another dominant performance. He scored 15 first-half points to finish with 23, his sixth 20-point performance of the season. In two games against Indiana this season, Baldwin put up 45 total points on 15-for-26 shooting and tallied 17 assists.
“When you have a guy like Ace playing off a ball screen, he's not just going to shoot it and drive it, he's going to find guys,” Rhoades said. “You saw that today, and I really think everybody starts doing that. Sharing the basketball and being really aggressive, it's hard to guard.”
Ware then grabbed his third and fourth fouls just three minutes into the second half. After scoring 25 points in the last meeting, Ware had 16 in just 22 minutes, which allowed Penn State to use matchups more efficiently and get to the basket for 30 free throw attempts (26 made free throws).
“Ware, he's a great shot blocker. He's one of the best shot blockers in the country,” Baldwin said. “So once he went out, that was our game plan because, other than him, there weren't any other shot blockers, so we just kept attacking the rim.”
How it happened
Penn State shot 43 percent from beyond the arc, while Indiana (14-13, 6-10) did not make its first 3-pointer until the game's final 2 minutes. The Hoosiers averaged just 5.1 3-point attempts per game, worst in the Big Ten, but were brutal Saturday.
Indiana’s Malik Reneau, on the back of a mini 6-0 run for the Hoosiers, completed a 3-point play to cut Penn State’s lead from 12 to two at the 10-minute mark of the second half. But Zach Hicks continued his clutch streak with a 3-pointer before a third-chance layup from Puff Johnson forced a Hoosier timeout. Hicks then completed a 4-point play just under the two-minute mark that served as the dagger after Penn State spent most of the second half nursing a single-digit lead.
“I think I always had a knack [for the big shot]. Going back to Temple last year, I would hit the shot that would lead to someone else hitting the game winner, but I think they were just as important as the game winner,” Hicks said. “So yeah, I think I'm clutch.”
In his first year since transferring from Temple, Hicks (17 points, seven rebounds) has evolved greatly after some early shooting struggles. He’s now scoring from beyond the arc while also getting to the basket off the dribble, and Rhoades specifically pointed out his defense and rebounding as major boons, too. Including hitting the game-winning free throws against Illinois, Hicks has hit double-digit scoring in seven straight games.
“Well, it's a great example of why you never quit on a kid, right?” Rhoades said. “He just looks confident out there. He's putting the ball on the floor, getting some other guys shots. That's why you keep working with guys. That's why you get extra shots, you spend time with them, make sure No. 1 that they know, 'Hey, I believe in you.'”
Injury notes
Forward Demetrius Lilley missed his fifth straight game after being listed as questionable entering the game. He participated in warmups, a new step in his recovery after Rhoades said he had a minor procedure done recently.
Lilley had been serving as the primary rotational big for Qudus Wahab, but Favour Aire has played some in his stead. Aire picked up two fouls in just one possession in the first half and wound up playing just two minutes overall. Penn State may consider itself lucky that Ware’s foul trouble didn’t force Rhoades to get creative in guarding the big man.
Forward Puff Johnson, who hit two important first-half 3s, exited the game briefly and went to the locker room while holding onto his hand and wrist area. He returned in the second half, though, and finished with eight points.
Up next
Penn State puts its two-game win streak on the road for a 9 p.m. tipoff at Iowa on Tuesday. The Lions took game one at home over the Hawkeyes 89-79.
More on Penn State Basketball
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Penn State stuns No. 12 Illinois at Rec Hall
Penn State parts ways with top scorer Kanye Clary
Penn State's offense falls flat in loss to Nebraska
Penn State lets an opportunity slide at Northwestern
Ace Baldwin Jr. leads Penn State to third straight win
Penn State scores first road win at Indiana since 2014
Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59
