2023-2024 Penn State men's basketball report card: vs. Rutgers

The Nittany Lions got their first road win of the season Wednesday night when they took down the Scarlet Knights 61-46.

It was a low-scoring game, but the blue and white pulled away in the second half and earned a much-needed win.

Here are the game grades for Penn State in its victory:

Offense: D+

It was a gritty defensive game for the Nittany Lions and there was much left to be desired from the offense.

A large reason for the lack of offense was the absence of Kanye Clary, who leads the team in scoring with 18.4 points per game. Clary missed this game due to an injury sustained in Saturday's loss to Minnesota.

In his absence, D’Marco Dunn was inserted into the starting lineup and put up 14 points, behind only Ace Baldwin Jr. with 15 points.

It was an overall poor offensive performance with only 61 points scored, which is tied for their fewest points in a game all season.

The Nittany Lions struggled from the field, converting only 38.5% of their total shots and just 21.7% of their shots from deep.

On the bright side, Dunn and Baldwin Jr. were a solid pairing in the backcourt and the team was aggressive, getting to the line 21 times.

There is still significant room for improvement, but once Clary returns, the offense should go back to normal.

Defense: A+

The offense may have struggled, but the defense was phenomenal, stifling Rutgers’ offense all game long.

Consistency has been an issue all season, but it appears at least defensively that the team has figured something out.

The Scarlet Knights were held to just 46 points and only made one three-point shot. They finished with a field goal percentage of just 34% and had their lowest-scoring game all season.

The Nittany Lions did what they do best, which is force turnovers and get steals. Baldwin Jr. leads the Big Ten in steals and improved his average with five steals Wednesday night.

When the offense was struggling, the defense played its best and was the key factor for Penn State in its victory.

Coaching: B+

On a night when his star player was out with an injury, head coach Mike Rhoades was able to go on the road and secure the victory.

It was an impressive victory, but it wasn’t a clean win as Rhoades will have a lot to work on with his players.

The defense was stellar, but the offensive struggles were significantly worse without Clary.

Dunn was ready to take on the larger role in place of Clary, but the same could not be said for the rest of the team offensively.

Rhoades had to rely on the starters for most of the game as only Puff Johnson and Demetrius Lilley recorded any points off the bench.

Winning in tough circumstances deserves a high coaching grade, but this was far from a flawless game, lowering the score.

Christopher Reynolds is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at clr5971@psu.edu.