Ace Baldwin Jr. Leads Penn State to 3rd Straight Win

Baldwin scores 22, and the Nittany Lions hit 12 3-pointers in an 89-79 win over Iowa.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | As Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades put it, star guard Ace Baldwin Jr. has an “innate ability to go make a play when it’s needed.” He did that again in the Nittany Lions 89-79 victory over Iowa on Thursday, propelling them to a three-game Big Ten win streak. Baldwin first made a 3-pointer from the corner to give Pen State the lead with seven minutes to play, as the team overcame a seven-point deficit midway through the second half.

Five minutes later, with Penn State nursing a late five-point lead, Baldwin drove to the right side of the lane and lofted an off-balance jumper over Iowa's Tony Perkins that drew a foul. The shot rattled around the rim and in, generating an explosion from the Bryce Jordan Center crowd. Baldwin then stared Perkins down with just under a minute remaining, hoisting a 3-pointer to give the Lions a 10-point lead.

Bang. Dagger.

Baldwin (22 points, 6 assists, 4 steals) gestured for noise from the Nittany Lion faithful as Penn State put the finishing touches on its third straight victory. Penn State (12-11, 6-6) has beaten the Hawkeyes (13-9, 5-7) three straight times dating to last season and has jumped into a tie for sixth in the Big Ten.

“I was a little bit careless with the ball in the first half, and as a leader and a point guard, I just had to step it up,” Baldwin said after the win. “And that's what I did.”

Earlier this season, Penn State dropped double-digit, second-half leads at home to both Northwestern and Minnesota. Iowa benefited from a two-minute Penn State scoring drought to take its largest lead of the night with 9:54 remaining. But this time, the Lions played a full 40-minute game.

“I think just the experiences we’ve been going through,” Rhoades said. “That's pretty much what I said the one timeout. I was like, 'Are we gonna go through this again? Is this how it is every time we play at home?

“Sooner or later, players on the team gotta say, 'That's enough. We're not doing this again.' Today was one of those steps to do that,” he added.

Baldwin led the way, scoring 13 points in the last 4 minutes, but four players hit double-digits for Penn State, which tied a season-high with 12 3-pointers and assisted on 18 of their 26 field goals. The Lions shot 52 percent from the floor and turned over the ball just four times in the second half (13 total). Penn State made 12 3s against Indiana as well, showing marked improvement since having serious shooting struggles early in the season.

“How ‘bout that?” Rhoades joked. He had mentioned multiple times his team was shooting better in practice than in games. “We had the right guys shooting the right 3s today.”

Penn State guard Ace Baldwin Jr. celebrates with Qudus Wahab as the Nittany Lions defeated Iowa 89-79 at the Bryce Jordan Center :: Matthew O'Haren/USA Today Sports

Big man Qudus Wahab had 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting and tied a season-high with three assists, which drew a smile and a laugh from Baldwin when Wahab received a question about his passing after the game. Zach Hicks had 14 after a season-high 19 against Indiana last week, while D’Marco Dunn scored 12 in his third straight start. Kanye Clary came off the bench in his return from injury but struggled, scoring just eight points and finishing the game at minus-5.

Jameel Brown knocked down three early triples for a big spark but finished with just those nine points. The ball has moved better, and Penn State has gotten contributions from more places during this three game win streak.

“I like to say just playing together, sharing the ball and just giving everybody a shot,” Baldwin said of his team’s recent improvement.

Iowa entered the night with one of the nation’s fastest paces and the Big Ten’s best assist-to-turnover ratio. The Hawkeyes ended with 18 turnovers and just 15 assists, adding to Penn State’s conference-best turnover marks and proving the Lions were able to play their style throughout. Coach Fran McCaffery mentioned that Rhoades’ press and aggressive defensive style, a rarity in the Big Ten, is tough to prepare for.

Leading scorer Tony Perkins, coming off a stretch of five straight 20-plus point games and with just six turnovers, scored just 11 with eight assists and five turnovers. Payton Sandfort, the Big Ten’s No. 2 3-point shooter, finished with just eight points on two 3s.

“That’s the key to it all. You don't see a lot of [the press]. A lot of teams play half-court man,” McCaffery said. “They're just going to force you to continuously make plays and force your big guys to handle the ball.”

Injury report

Penn State forward Puff Johnson did not suit up Thursday after being listed as questionable prior to the game. He wore street clothes and did not warm up, either. Rhoades called him “day-to-day.” Clary made his return after also being listed as questionable, playing 18 minutes in the win.

Up next

Penn State gets a second crack at Northwestern on the road at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. The Wildcats are 16-7 overall and 7-5 in the Big Ten. They beat Nebraska 80-68 at home most recently.

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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.