Purdue Fort Wayne @ Penn State preview
Bryce Jordan Center
Four games into the season, Penn State coach Mike Rhoades is feeling good about his undefeated squad.
The Nittany Lions will aim to continue their impressive start to the season Wednesday when they host Purdue Fort Wayne in non-conference action.
Penn State (4-0) has won its first four contests by 42, 49, 30 and 22 points, respectively.
In Friday's 86-64 victory over Virginia Tech, Zach Hicks and Ace Baldwin Jr. each scored 19 points. Nick Kern Jr. chipped in 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while Baldwin added 10 assists and Freddie Dilione V registered four of the team's 16 steals.
"There's no guarantees in sports, but I like where we're going. I like how much these guys are working, I like how much they care about each other," Rhoades said.
The Nittany Lions have three more contests against mid-majors -- including this one -- before a showdown with No. 6 Purdue on Dec. 5. In the meantime, the win over Virginia Tech proves that Penn State is not to be taken lightly.
"I think that counts (as a statement win)," Baldwin said after the victory over Virginia Tech. "We had a long week of practice. Coach was on us the whole week, and I think we did good today."
Purdue Fort Wayne (3-1) has scored at least 90 points in all three of its wins, most recently a 93-74 rout of Southern Indiana on Saturday. Jalen Jackson scored a career-high 29 points, knocking down 11 of 19 shots while chipping in four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
"My teammates just trusted me," Jackson said. "On our team, it could be anyone's night. We have a really deep roster. ... This game, it was me. We're just all interchangeable with everybody on the team."
Guard Rasheed Bello (18.5) and Jackson (17) are the leading scorers for the Mastodons, while Eric Mulder chips in 10.8 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds.
--Field Level Media