The Nittany Lions are no longer winless in conference play as Kayden Mingo wins it late against the Golden Gophers.
Penn State basketball can officially put on in the win column for Big Ten play, and it's thanks to the star player delivering in the clutch.
The Nittany Lions (10-12, 1-10) defeated Minnesota (10-12, 3-8) 77-75 inside the Bryce Jordan Center after freshman point guard Kayden Mingo hits a game-winning layup in traffic with 1.2 seconds remaining to edge out the Golden Gophers.
Mingo finished the game with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while Freddie Dilione V led all scorers with 25 pointson 17 shots to go with 5 boards. Josh Reed also scored 18 points while shooting 4-of-5 on 3-pointers.
Kayden Mingo with the game-winner for @PennStateMBB đŸ”¥ pic.twitter.com/fNv0HGIABv
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 1, 2026
"It's relief, without a doubt," head coach Mike Rhoades said after the game. "January wasn't a lot of fun around here. We had stretches of good basketball against good teams, but not not big enough, not experienced enough, not good enough to win.
I'm just happy for the guys because we don't have any BS; our guys are acting the right way. They're being coachable, they care about the right stuff. Todau was a little bit of valued validation that these guys are doing things the right way."
Rhoades mentioned how starting center Ivan Jurić woke up with a 103-degree fever and didn't play, which was on top of Tibor Mirtic and Sasa Ciani being questionable on the availability report before being ruled out.
"As much as it stinks, it is what it is," Rhoades said. "What are you going to do about it? Like we're not canceling the game. That's life sometimes. My dad always told me 'no excuses, figure it out.'
But the third-year head coach coined his trademark "no excuses" mentality when it came to who was available.
"I told the guys we're going to find a way to win today. The staff was awesome. WE had belief. We've played some good basketball, just not good enough to win a 40-miunte game in the Big Ten. Today we found a way to win."
It was also fitting that Mingo was the one to seal the deal for the Nittany Lions, adding to the building lore of the program's highest-rated recruit who wills his team to victory.
"It felt great having all my teammates come up to tme and congratulate me and having their trust and my coaches' trust," Mingo said. "I give all the thanks and glordy to Jesus Christ and my teammates for being there for me and my coaches for instilling confidence in me."
To say the rest of the season is an uphill climb would be an understatement, especially with the program going on the road for a rematch against Michigan in Ann Arbor.
At the very least, however, the weight of potentially going winless is no longer a concern, and the hope is the win gives Penn State basketball the momentum it needs to build on it.
"It's a good sense of relief getting our first win in conference," Dilione said. "We just got to carry it over to the next game and keep the momentum going."
Penn State will take on the Wolverines Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m., followed by a Feb. 8 matinee at home against USC.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State basketball wins on Kayden Mingo game-winner vs. Minnesota
Category: General Sports
