Melih Tunca scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting to guide visiting Penn State to an 83-69 victory over La Salle on Saturday in Philadelphia.
Kayden Mingo was another standout for the Nittany Lions (4-0) with 14 points and seven assists. Freddie Dilione V contributed 16 points off the Penn State bench, while Ivan Juric added 11 points in a reserve role.
Ashton Walker and Jerome Brewer Jr. scored 13 points apiece for La Salle (2-2), while Eric Acker chipped in with 11 points. Jaeden Marshall was the Explorers’ top bench player with 11 points on the day.
The Nittany Lions shot 58 percent from the field and knocked down half of their 20 3-point attempts. The Explorers also shot well from the floor (50 percent) and the arc (44 percent), although they were doomed by 15 turnovers.
La Salle held an early 12-9 lead before Penn State rattled off 20 consecutive points. Juric and Tibor Mirtic began the surge with buckets before Dominick Stewart’s three-point play made it 16-12 in favor of the Nittany Lions.
Stewart and Tunca each drained a 3-pointer shortly thereafter to make it 24-12 before Tunca dropped in a pair of layups to raise the margin to 29-12.
Mingo’s 3-pointer with about 7 1/2 minutes left in the half made it 32-14, and Dilione scored five quick points to create a 37-19 cushion.
The Explorers responded with five straight points, but the Nittany Lions’ Josh Reed drained a 3-pointer to make it 40-24.
Penn State went on to lead 42-29 at the break. The margin was similar (54-42) about six minutes into the second half, when Juric and Mirtic combined on a quick 5-0 push that put Penn State ahead by 17.
Midway through the second half, Dilione made a jumper and a 3-pointer and assisted on Tunca’s long-range shot that brought the Nittany Lions’ lead to 70-49.
La Salle scored the next seven points, but Tunca’s 3-pointer helped restore order — and the Nittany Lions cruised to the finish line.
