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UNIVERSITY PARK -- Kanye Clary had 20 points, Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 18 off the bench and Qudus Wahab added a double-double to help Penn State pull away in the second half to beat Lehigh 74-65 on Friday night.
Clary sank 8 of 14 shots with two 3-pointers for the Nittany Lions (2-0), but he also had seven of the team's 15 turnovers. Baldwin hit two 3-pointers and had three steals. Wahab finished with 11 points and a career-high 18 rebounds.
Keith Higgins Jr. scored nine points to help Lehigh (0-2) take a 38-33 lead, but Clary scored the final five points of the first half to pull Penn State even at 38-38 at halftime.
At 50-all, Baldwin drilled a mid-range jumper to retake the lead, and on defense picked Cam Gillus' pocket and found Nick Kern for a fast break bucket to get the lead back up to four. With under 10 minutes remaining in the game, Kern picked up a steal of his own and scored a quick layup.
On the inbound, Clary grabbed another steal and scored another layup to get the home crown into it.
After two made free throws for Lehigh, Wahab scored a tough and-one layup and free throw making it a 61-54 game. Baldwin added two more points on free throws and another fast break layup by Clary brought the lead to 11 points, the highest on the night for Penn State.
Higgins finished with 23 points, the lone Mountain Hawk to reach double figures. He added eight rebounds.
It was the 43rd meeting between the two in-state foes in a series that dates to 1902. Penn State leads the series 32-11, including a 22-1 record at home.
Penn State beat Lehigh, picked to finish second in the Patriot League, for a 10th straight time and hasn't lost to them since 1987.
The Nittany Lions are home again on Tuesday when they welcome Saint Francis to the Jordan Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
LEHIGH (0-2): Momah 2-7 4-4 8, Parolin 2-8 0-0 4, Higgins 9-16 3-4 23, Sinclair 1-6 0-0 2, Whitney-Sidney 4-13 1-4 9, Gillus 2-3 2-2 7, Knostman 0-2 0-1 0, Whitlock 1-3 0-0 2, Ingram 2-2 0-0 4, Tan 1-3 4-4 6, Chebuhar 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-63 14-19 65.
PENN STATE (2-0): Hicks 1-11 0-0 2, Wahab 4-7 3-3 11, Clary 8-14 2-4 20, Dunn 4-7 0-0 9, Kern 2-4 2-2 6, Baldwin 6-14 2-2 16, Brown 3-4 0-0 8, O'Boyle 0-2 0-0 0, Lilley 1-1 0-1 2, Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-64 9-12 74.
Halftime–38-38. 3-Point Goals–Lehigh 3-13 (Higgins 2-7, Gillus 1-1, Parolin 0-1, Sinclair 0-1, Whitlock 0-1, Whitney-Sidney 0-2), Penn St. 7-23 (Brown 2-2, Clary 2-4, Baldwin 2-5, Dunn 1-2, Kern 0-1, O'Boyle 0-2, Hicks 0-7). Rebounds–Lehigh 35 (Higgins 8), Penn St. 33 (Wahab 18). Assists–Lehigh 12 (Gillus 3), Penn St. 9 (Hicks, Clary, Baldwin 2). Total Fouls–Lehigh 15, Penn St. 15.