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UNIVERSITY PARK -- Roko Prkacin scored 28 points, Ivan Juric had a double-double, and Penn State rolled past Canisius 97-57 on Monday night in the season opener for both teams.
Coming off the bench, Prkacin made 12 of 14 shots and 4 of 5 free throws. Juric scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.
The Nittany Lions led by as many as 22 points in the first half, and it was 47-26 at the break. Prkacin led the way with 12 points, and Juric hauled in eight rebounds.
Early in the second half, Prkacin outscored the Golden Griffins 12-2 over a 3-minute stretch as the Nittany Lions extended their lead to 66-35. The biggest lead was 96-54 in the final minute.
Clinton Efinda led Canisius with 13 points, and Preist Ryan added 12.
Josh Reed scored 12 points for Penn State. The Nittany Lions shot 55% and made 21 of 29 free throws (72%).
The Nittany Lions have won all four previous meetings with Canisius, most recently earning a 97-67 victory in 2022.
Up next
Penn State: vs. Chattanooga on Thursday.
CANISIUS (0-1): Efinda 5-10 1-1 13, Fouts 3-8 0-0 7, Ryan 5-9 2-4 12, Sigona 3-9 1-1 7, Wilson 3-14 0-0 6, Mack 1-3 0-0 2, Fowler 1-2 1-2 4, Guerrero 3-6 0-0 6, Mulcahy 0-0 0-1 0, Augustine 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-61 5-9 57.
PENN STATE (1-0): Juric 5-8 4-5 14, Reed 4-7 4-4 12, Allard 2-4 0-0 5, Bowen 2-7 1-3 5, Byers 3-9 0-0 8, Prkacin 12-14 4-5 28, Wibaut 4-6 1-1 10, Blums 2-7 1-1 5, Rodgers 1-1 0-0 2, Oboh 0-1 3-6 3, Gemao 1-1 0-0 2, Grodin 0-0 2-2 2, Spacciapolli 0-0 0-0 0, Zevecvic 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 36-65 21-29 97.
Halftime--Penn State 47-26. 3-Point Goals--Canisius 4-22 (Efinda 2-5, Fowler 1-1, Fouts 1-3, Mack 0-1, Guerrero 0-2, Sigona 0-5, Wilson 0-5), Penn State 4-19 (Byers 2-7, Wibaut 1-2, Allard 1-3, Bowen 0-1, Reed 0-1, Blums 0-5). Fouled Out_Mack. Rebounds--Canisius 26 (Ryan 8), Penn State 44 (Juric 15). Assists--Canisius 12 (Sigona 4), Penn State 20 (Blums 4). Total Fouls--Canisius 23, Penn State 18.