What Penn State men’s basketball said after winning its third straight Big Ten game
Penn State men’s basketball defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes Thursday night in the Bryce Jordan Center, 89-79. The win is the Nittany Lions’ third straight and puts them at 12-11 overall and 6-6 in the Big Ten. They’re currently tied for sixth place, with another conference matchup looming on the road Sunday at Northwestern.
Here’s what Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades, and his players Ace Baldwin Jr. and Qudus Wahab, said after the victory.
Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades
Opening statement
“Just really proud of our guys. They were resilient late in the game. We continue to talk about getting better and serving each other and helping each other. And just whatever it takes in that moment to help the team win and move forward. That’s all we’re talking about, being unselfish at both ends of the court. I just thought late in the game when they had the momentum in the second half and they had the lead, our guys just hung in there, they stuck together. They made some big plays at both ends of the court. Taking a charge, getting on the floor for rebounds, getting some big rebounds, getting loose balls. ... I thought we made a couple on defense that were huge, not letting guys get 3s. And then offensively, I just thought we shared the ball and got some open looks. (Qudus Wahab) really finished today against guys. Huge team win. I just thought so many guys contributed in a positive way.
On coming back after losing a first-half lead
“I think the experiences we’ve been going through and going through this, that’s pretty much what I said in the one timeout. I said ‘Are we gonna go through this again? Is this how it is every time we play at home.’ I said, ‘Take a deep breath, clear your mind here.’ ... We talked about getting in the lane but not forcing it with a turnover or a tough shot. I thought we did a good job after that of feeding guys and we got some 3s because of that. We shared the ball better. I thought that we were just undisciplined at times on defense where we reached 30 feet from the basket and gave up a layup, or were playing behind from the post instead of getting around and pushing them out. Little things like that, I thought guys just sharpened up. We’ve been through so much this year, so many ups and downs, so those experiences have got to be your greatest teacher. 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.”
On Ace Baldwin
“You’ve heard me say this, I’ve been saying this for a long time about Ace. Ace will play a game and not score a point and if his team wins, he’s good. That’s how important winning is to him. ... If we lose, Ace doesn’t talk to anyone for two days. That’s how competitive he is. ... He’s not afraid. The dude’s not afraid. ... He’s hard on himself. But he also works on his game and he has that elite competitiveness. I wish I could say it was coaching, but it’s not. It’s an innate ability to go make a play when it’s needed. It’s a level of competitiveness that not everybody has. I think he’s an outlier in that area. He’s gonna do whatever it takes to win because winning to him is the most important thing. He’s not a good loser but I don’t mind that because he wants to win that bad.”
On the team making 12 3-pointers
“We had the right guys shooting the right 3s today. A lot of the 3s were because guys were really unselfish passing the ball. A couple of ones were where you just tee it up and step into it. ... What was neat about that was when some of those guys made the shots, the bench and the guys who didn’t shoot the ball, the joy they had for each other in celebrating each other’s success is because we’re playing the right way. You get that ball hot and you share that rock, the rim looks bigger and those shots become easier. Step-in 3s are a lot easier when your teammates are getting the ball to you when you need it.”
On the team’s mental growth
“That’s what you want to see as a coach. ... Over the last 10 days we’ve been tougher, we’ve been mentally tougher, we didn’t make excuses. That’s all the credit to those guys because they’re the ones that go through it. As a coach you can point it out, but it doesn’t matter until they get it and they call each other out and say ‘this is enough.’ Sometimes as a team you gotta draw the line in the sand when it comes to mental toughness and say ‘enough is enough, we’ve gotta figure this out.’ And they have.”
Penn State players
Baldwin on retaking the lead
“Halftime we all talked. I was a little bit careless with the ball in the first half. And as a leader, as a point guard, I just had to step it up. And that’s what I did.”
Baldwin on converting a late 3-point play and hitting a 3-pointer to seal the win
“It all started off with defense. I think we were down four or five and we were down four or five and we made a little run. And I just wanna thank my teammates and coach for giving me that confidence to put the ball in my hands.”
Baldwin on the three-game winning streak after blowing a lead against Minnesota
“One thing on the Minnesota game, we just let our foot off the gas. It’s like we just gave up like the game was over. This game we just kept playing.
Qudus Wahab on the three-game winning streak after blowing a lead against Minnesota
“The second half of the Minnesota game we didn’t really come out strong. We changed that today.”
Baldwin on what’s changed to allow the team to win three in a row
“Honestly, I’d like to say just playing together and sharing the ball and just getting everybody a shot.”
Baldwin on Zach Hicks
“He’s brought a lot. Earlier in the season we weren’t shooting well and it didn’t matter. I just told Zach, just keep shooting and you’re gonna find it.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 11:15 PM.