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Written by Braydin Adams
Penn State Opens 2026 Campaign with Dominant 97-57 Win Over Canisius
College basketball is back, and the Penn State Nittany Lions Men’s Basketball team opened its 2026 season by hosting the Canisius Golden Griffins at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Nittany Lions are led by Head Coach Mike Rhoades, a Lebanon Valley College alum entering his fourth season at Penn State. On the other side, the Golden Griffins are led by Jim Christian, who enters his third season as head coach.
Penn State enters the season with a completely different roster, meaning Rhoades will have to figure out rotations and work through some challenges as the year progresses. However, the Nittany Lions do return starters Josh Reed and Ivan Juric, who were both key contributors in 2025.
Penn State wasted little time getting things going, jumping out to an early 19-8 lead behind strong starts from Roko Prkacin and Brant Byers.
The Nittany Lions continued to build momentum, putting together a 13-8 run to extend their advantage to 32-16 with 5:42 remaining in the first half. At that point, Prkacin was leading the way with 11 points as Penn State continued to find success offensively.
The Golden Griffins struggled to slow down the Nittany Lions, who were looking sharp on both sides of the ball.
By halftime, Penn State had built a commanding 47-26 lead and appeared to be in complete control of the game.
For Canisius to have any chance at a comeback, the Golden Griffins would need to catch fire offensively while stepping up their physicality on defense.
Instead, Penn State picked up right where it left off after halftime, continuing to build on its commanding lead.
The Nittany Lions continued to run away with the game as Prkacin took over offensively. With approximately 13 minutes remaining, Prkacin had already reached 24 points, helping Penn State extend its lead to 66-35.
At that point, any hopes of a Canisius upset were quickly fading.
Penn State continued to show physicality and high effort throughout the second half, controlling the game on both ends of the floor.
Juric made his presence felt on the boards, reaching 15 rebounds as the Nittany Lions continued to dominate inside.
With just three minutes remaining, Penn State had pushed its lead to 40 points, holding an 89-49 advantage.
The Nittany Lions never looked back, cruising to a convincing 97-57 victory to open the season.
Leading Scorers
Penn State
- Roko Prkacin: 28 points
- Ivan Juric: 14 points
- Josh Reed: 12 points
- Wibaut: 10 points
- Brant Byers: 8 points
Canisius
- Effinda: 13 points
- Ryan: 12 points
- Fouts: 7 points
- Sigona: 7 points
- Wilson: 6 points
- Guerrero: 6 points
Looking Ahead
For Penn State, it was an impressive way to begin the 2026 season. With so many new faces on the roster, there were plenty of questions about how quickly this group would come together.
At least on opening night, the Nittany Lions looked comfortable playing together.
Prkacin’s 28-point performance led the way, while Juric’s work on the boards and contributions from several other players helped Penn State control the game from start to finish.
The victory moves Penn State to 1-0 as the Nittany Lions look to build momentum early in the season.
Penn State will return to action Thursday night when it hosts Chattanooga at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Meanwhile, Canisius falls to 0-1 and will look to bounce back Saturday when the Golden Griffins host St. Bonaventure.
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