Penn State Basketball Is 6-0 for the First Time Since 1999

The Nittany Lions remain unbeaten with a win over Fordham in Daytona Beach.

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Ace Baldwin Jr. (1) and teammates celebrate on the bench during the second half against the Virginia Tech Hokies at CFG Bank Arena. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Penn State men's basketball is off to its best start in 25 years and will play in the championship game of the Sunshine Classic in Florida. The Nittany Lions (6-0) beat Fordham 85-66 on Monday in the tournament's semifinals in Dayona Beach, setting up a championship game against Clemson on Tuesday.

Penn State has not been 6-0 since the 1999-2000 season, when the Nittany Lions went 19-16 and beat North Carolina State in the consolation game of the NIT. Penn State also has scored at least 80 points in six consecutive games for the first time in program history.

The Nittany Lions never trailed in the game, leading by as many as 13 points in the first half as Zach Hicks fronted a hot start. Hicks scored the team's first five points and finished the first half with 10 on 4-for-6 shooting. Fordham closed the first half on a mini-run to cut Penn State's lead to five points at halftime.

The Nittany Lions maintained control of the second half, extending their lead to 22 points with a 16-1 run midway through the half. Hicks again was the catalyst, making a 3-pointer as Penn State held Fordham scoreless over a 3-minute stretch. Fordham got no closer than 15 points the remainder of the way, and Penn State led by as many as 23.

Nick Kern Jr. produced his first career double-double, finishing with 20 points (on 9-for-12 shooting) and a career-high 13 rebounds. He was perfect from the field in the first half, scoring 8 points on 3-for-3 shooting.

"Nick Kern, he's a hard-rocking dude, man. That's the best way to explain him," Penn State coach Mike Rhoades told Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi in his post-game interview. "He listens, he's coachable, but in competition he's just tough, and you saw that today."

Hicks closed with 16 points, Puff Johnson had 15 and Ace Baldwin Jr. finished with 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Baldwin played just 29 minutes after picking up his fourth foul in the second half.

Penn State didn't have the best shooting night, finishing at 52.6 percent, and was only 20-for-32 from the free-throw line. However, the Nittany Lions held Fordham to shooting 48.1 percent from the field, generated 14 turnovers and scored 44 points in the paint.

How to watch Penn State basketball vs. Clemson

Penn State will play Clemson on Tuesday in the championship game of the Sunshine Slam. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. Clemson defeated San Francisco 70-55 in the tournament's other semifinal Monday.

Clemson represents the highest-rated team Penn State has faced so far this season. The Tigers (5-1) are No. 31 in the latest KenPom ratings. Penn State is No. 32. Penn State and Clemson last met in the 2022 Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Tigers defeated Penn State 101-94 in double overtime, improving to 4-1 all-time against the Nittany Lions. If Penn State wins, it will be 7-0 for the first time since the 1995-96 season.

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