UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – After a strong start for the Eagles, North Carolina Central couldn't keep the pace as Penn State took control, defeating NCCU 90-67 at the Bryce Jordan Center on Monday afternoon.
Khouri Carvey had a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds. Kyric Davis (10), Dionte Johnson (11) and Kelechi Okworogwo (11) joined Carvey in double figures.
NCCU (4-11) wrapped up non-conference play without starter and leading scorer Gage Lattimore due to injury, but the Maroon and Gray looked refreshed after the Christmas break, while the Nittany Lions came out slow.
The Eagles started the game in a zone defense and it stifled Penn State in the opening minutes. The Nittany Lions went 7-of-18 from beyond the arc in the first half after struggling to get the ball in the paint. NC Central capitalized, outrebounding Penn State 21-10 in the first 20 minutes.
By the 12:21 mark, NCCU was up 17-6 as the 11-point advantage was the largest for the Eagles. Penn State used the 12-minute media timeout to shake off the rust and followed with a 13-0 run, gaining its first lead since 3-2 early in the game.
Penn State's Eli Rice single-handedly countered the zone, knocking down four threes on four attempts, causing the Eagles to switch up their defensive plan. Rice's teammate Kayden Mingo hassled the NCCU guards forcing multiple turnovers during the run.
The Nittany Lions went up as much as 10 points (34-24), before the Eagles closed the half on a 9-2 run. NCCU trailed 36-33 at halftime on 51.9 percent shooting from the field.
The Eagles started the second half opposite of the first, giving up four turnovers on the first six possessions and in a little under three minutes, Penn State extended its lead 46-35, causing a quick timeout from NCCU head coach LeVelle Moton.
Carvey and Okworogwo did solid jobs against Penn State's post players as NC Central led 40-36 in paint points. Offensive rebounding was one of the key factors keeping NCCU in the game as the Eagles had a 10-8 advantage, and a 31-22 lead in total rebounding.
Penn State and NC Central went back-and-forth on runs, but the Nittany Lions turned the Eagles over 14 times in the second half and scored 34 points off turnovers in the game. Carvey also fouled out after a solid performance with 10 minutes left to play.
The game was a lot closer than the final score suggests as the Eagles shot 55.8 percent, while Penn State went 55.9 percent from the field. The Nittany Lions however were better from beyond the arc (14-of-32) and headed to the free throw line 13 times, knocking down 10, as the Eagles didn't take a free throw at all in the second half. Mingo (19) and Rice (18) led Penn State as three other Nittany Lions finished in double figures as well.
With the close of non-conference action, NC Central turns its focus to familiar opponents in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Eagles begin 2026 facing Norfolk State on Saturday, Jan. 3 at McDougald-McLendon Arena for a 4:30 p.m. tip.
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