Ace Baldwin Jr. Sets Penn State Record in Win Over Coppin State

The Nittany Lions point guard dishes a school-record 16 assists in big nonconference win.

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Ace Baldwin Jr. dribbles the ball against Coppin State at the Bryce Jordan Center. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. set a school assists record, and reached an important milestone, in the Nittany Lions' 99-51 nonconference victory over Coppin State on Saturday. Baldwin recorded a Penn State-record 16 assists in the game, breaking a mark that stood for nearly 50 years, and became only the second active Division I player with 700 career assists.

"Well that's just who Ace is," Penn State coach Mike Rhoades told reporters in State College after the game. "I think he'd rather have an assist than a basket, but he can do both. I think his whole life he's been setting the table for his teammates. He just did it at such a high level today that he got a school record. Over 700 career assists is no small feat. The best compliment you can get in a team sport is you make those around you better. He does that."

Penn State (9-2) got back in the win column after falling to Rutgers last week in its first true road game of the season. Coppin State (0-12) is ranked 363rd in the nation, according to KenPom, and Penn State dominated accordingly. The Nittany Lions put together a 20-0 run over a six-minute stretch of the first half to take control of the game. They led 29-4 at one point, and Coppin State didn't score its 10th point until six minutes before halftime. Penn State missed reaching 100 points for the fourth time this season by one.

Baldwin added 11 points and five rebounds to his 16 assists, which gave him 714 for for his career. Penn State's previous single-game record for assists was set in January 1975 by Tom Doaty (15) against Purdue. Penn State coach Mike Rhoades was able to get deep into his bench during the game at the Bryce Jordan Center. Six players scored in double figures, and 12 got into the game. That included freshman Jahvin Carter, who tied a season-high with nine points.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser led Pen State with 14 points, Puff Johnson and Nick Kern Jr. added 12 apiece and Dominic Stewart and D'Marco Dunn chipped in 10 each.

Penn State gets the week off before its next game, a stretch that Rhoades wants to use judiciously.

"I really believe this team is locked in and I know what they want to do, but you've got to put the work in on the daily," Rhoades said. "I told our staff we've got to pour into the guys over the next two weeks here, how much better can we get before we go home for Christmas?"

Penn State's next game will occur at the same time as the Nittany Lions' first-round College Football Playoff game against SMU. The Nittany Lions basketball team will face Drexel on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Tip-off is scheduled for noon ET, the same time as kickoff at Beaver Stadium.

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