Tunca’s 19 points, Mingo’s 15 push Penn State 76-68 past Fairfield

By Canadian Press on November 3, 2025.

State College, Pa. (AP) — Melih Tunca scored 19 points and had six assists, and Kayden Mingo added 15 points to lead Penn State to a 75-68 win over Fairfield in a season opener for both teams on Monday night.

Penn State trailed by three points with 2:17 remaining, but pulled away with an 11-0 run over the final two minutes. Tunca had six of those points, hitting a game-tying 3-pointer at the two-minute mark. He was 7-of-11 from the field.

Tibor Mirtic added a game-high 11 rebounds along with six points.

Fairfield opened the game on a 12-0 scoring run, but Penn State quickly cut into the deficit, leaving it 37-37 at the half.

Braden Sparks led all scorers with 25 points, going 5-of-12 from 3-point range. Brandon Benjamin had 18 points and 10 rebounds and was 8-of-11 from the field.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

The Associated Press

10
-9