Kayden Mingo scored 19 points and Eli Rice pitched in with 18 as Penn State pulled away for a 90-67 victory over North Carolina Central on Monday afternoon in University Park, Pa.
Dominick Stewart added 11 points for the Nittany Lions (9-4), who snapped a three-game losing streak in their final tuneup before full-time Big Ten play begins. The hosts only led by three points at halftime before shooting 67.7% from the field after intermission.
Melih Tunca scored all 10 of his points after the break for Penn State, while Freddie Dilione V scored all 10 of his points in the first half.
Khouri Carvey led North Carolina Central (4-11) with 13 points and nine rebounds. The Eagles shot 55.8% but committed 23 turnovers, falling to 0-9 on the road.
Penn State opened the second half with a 10-3 run, including two 3-pointers by Mingo. North Carolina Central scored the next four points to get within 46-39, but Mingo answered with a bucket.
The Nittany Lions’ lead was similar (57-47) with 12:45 left when Stewart and Josh Reed each knocked down a 3-pointer during a quick 10-0 run that pushed the lead to 20.
The scrappy Eagles recorded the next seven points, but the hosts countered with 14 of the next 17 points to end any threat of a comeback.
Penn State led by as many as 25 points down the stretch.
Carvey scored seven early points as North Carolina Central took a 9-3 lead en route to a 17-6 advantage. However, Penn State responded with 23 of the next 27 points – capped by two 3-pointers by Rice – to go in front 29-21.
Stewart’s 3-pointer gave the Nittany Lions a 10-point lead with four minutes left in the half, but the Eagles chipped away, closing to within 36-33 at the break on Dionte Johnson’s 3-pointer in the final minute.
Rice led all scorers with 14 points in the first half, while Carvey paced North Carolina Central with 11 points.
