Kayden Mingo scored 21 points to pace Penn State in an 87-76 win over visiting Campbell on Tuesday in University Park, Pa.
Freddie Dilione V added 17 points and four steals for the Nittany Lions (8-1), while Ivan Juric and Josh Reed chipped in with 16 points apiece. Penn State shot well from the field (51.7%) and the foul line (22-of-25) while also forcing 17 turnovers.
Campbell (3-5) was much more competitive than it was in a season-opening 32-point loss against another Big Ten opponent, Wisconsin. D.J. Smith led the way in this one with 19 points, while Dovydas Butka notched 15 points and nine rebounds.
Neither team led by more than five points in the first half until the final minute. Reed’s 3-pointer in the waning seconds gave the Nittany Lions a 46-39 lead at intermission.
Mingo scored 15 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Dilione made all five of his shots in the opening session en route to 13 points at the break.
Campbell shot 57.1% from the floor in the first half with Smith (11 points) and Butka (10 points on 4-of-4 shooting) doing much of the heavy lifting. The Camels may have led at halftime if not for 3-of-9 foul shooting and 12 turnovers.
Campbell’s Muneer Newton scored the first bucket of the second half, but Juric answered with four quick points for Penn State.
While Newton’s three-point play brought the Fighting Camels within 50-44, Dominick Stewart’s 3-pointer ignited a 9-2 run for the hosts.
The visitors whittled their deficit back to single digits before Juric made a 3-pointer and Reed knocked down a jumper to restore the cushion to 68-54.
The Camels kept fighting, as that 14-point deficit was down to seven after Chris Fields Jr. dropped in a layup with 6:53 left. About 90 seconds later, Smith’s 3-pointer brought Campbell within 72-66.
Down the stretch, Campbell got within five points on three separate occasions. Penn State had an answer each time, however, including with a conclusive 8-0 run that included six points by Mingo.
