STATE COLLEGE — Driven by a balanced offensive effort that saw five student-athletes crack double figures in scoring, the Penn State men’s basketball team rolled to a 90-67 win over North Carolina Central in the non-conference finale on Monday afternoon inside the Bryce Jordan Center.

The Nittany Lions utilized an all-around team effort to close out the 2025 calendar year with a victory, placing five student-athletes in double figures for the second time this season. PSU’s last instance of five double-digit scorers came on November 29 against Sacred Heart, a 90-59 win inside the Jordan Center.

The Nittany Lions notched their 16th consecutive non-conference home victory and improved to 20-1 in non-conference matchups under the direction of third-year head coach Mike Rhoades. All 12 available Penn State student-athletes saw the floor in Monday’s matchup, with 10 of those players booking at least two points in the win.

Freshman guard Kayden Mingo finished as the game’s leading scorer with 19 points on 8 for 12 shooting from the field with a trio of makes from beyond the arc, also pouring in six steals and a game-high-tying five assists.

Redshirt sophomore guard Eli Rice poured in 18 points, sophomore guard Dominick Stewart contributed 11, and redshirt junior guard Freddie Dilione V and freshman guard Melih Tunca both finished with 10 points apiece.

Juric came away with the opening tip, but NCCU booked the game’s first points moments later with a hook shot in the paint. Dilione V immediately answered back with a left-wing triple to give Penn State its first lead of the game, but N.C. Central rattled off a 7-0 scoring run to take an early 9-3 advantage.

Mingo hit a 3-pointer from straight-on moments later to make it a 9-6 ball game just over four minutes into Monday’s action. NCCU connected on four consecutive buckets on the other side of the media timeout to make it a 17-6 lead for the Eagles with under 13 minutes to play in the first.

Following the game’s second media break, Dilione V hit a jumper in the paint to halt the Eagle momentum, and tremendous full-court pressure from Mingo paved the way for a 2 for 2 Nittany Lion trip to the stripe moments later. A right-wing 3-pointer from Rice helped punctuate an 8-0 Nittany Lion scoring run, forcing an NCCU timeout with 10:11 to play in the first.

A pair of makes at the line from Juric and a left-wing 3-ball from Rice put the Nittany Lions back in front, and a pair of paint makes from Dilione V and Mingo kept the Nittany Lions ahead to the tune of a 23-19 edge with eight minutes left in the opening frame.

Rice bookended an Eagle paint jumper with a pair of 3-point baskets, and Mingo connected on a runner to give PSU its largest lead of the game to that point at 31-22. After NCCU notched a quick layup the other way, Stewart logged his first points of the game with a triple from the left corner to make it a 34-24 Nittany Lion lead with 3:57 left in the first.

N.C. Central managed a 6-0 response to pull back within four, and despite a mid-range make from Dilione V, the Eagles were able to make it a 3-point affair at the break with a right-corner triple, trailing PSU 36-33 with 20 minutes to play.