| Talor Battle |
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An All-Big Ten candidate, Battle can impact the game in many ways as evidenced by his 28-point, 13-rebound, six-assist effort vs. Michigan last March. It was but one highlight in an exceptional true-freshman season in which he placed himself among the top young players in the Big Ten. He started all but the Nittany Lions' first game at point-guard and led the team in assists (99), points (317) and minutes played (937) while ranking second in threes (48) and third in defensive rebounds (83) on the year. He showed his competitive fire and big play nerve hitting numerous late-game big shots and raising his scoring average by nearly six points per game in Big Ten play to 12.1 ppg. Penn State's leading scorer (12.2 ppg) and rebounder (4.1 rpg) over the final 12 games of the season, he also logged a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio while posting single-game highs for the Lions in rebounds (13), assists (6) and threes (7). He scored in double-figures in 16 games (13 in the Big Ten) and established himself as a composed and trusted floor general. A terrific scorer who also possesses great court vision as a passer, Battle is expected to be a key element in the Nittany Lion's success and among the top players in the conference.
HONORS/MILESTONES
• Career highs of 28 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists & 7 threes vs. Michigan (3/1)
• Posted Penn State 2007-08 single-game highs in rebounds (13), assists (6) and threes (7)
• Led team averaging 3.2 apg in 2007
• A first team Class AA (largest) New York
All-State selection
• Named Large School Player-of-the-Year
by the Albany Times.
• Fifth leading scorer in New York Section II
history (2,161)
• Rated a Top 100 recruit in the ESPN 150
2007-08 SEASON•FRESHMAN
Battle started all but the Nittany Lions' first game at point-guard and led the team in assists (99), points (317) and minutes played (937) while ranking second in threes (48) and third in defensive rebounds (83) on the year...aver-aged 12.1 ppg in Big Ten conference games raising his scoring average by nearly six points per game from the non-conference season...Posted a career high point total four times in his first five Big Ten games and had 13 double-digit outings vs. conference opponents and 16 on the year...His 35 threes in the Big Ten play led the team...Had an impressive start to his collegiate career putting up 12 points and tying for a team high four assists in a 74-64 victory over St. Francis (11/12)...Battle's performance ranked as the third best among freshmen debuts under Ed DeChellis...Made his first career start in a 93-40 win over Canisius (11/16) posting eight points and a team-high five assists with just one turnover in 22 minutes...Posted 13 points and added a team-high four assists in a career high 31 minutes in a 74-67 loss to South Carolina (11/22)...Posted nine points, three rebounds and three assists with just one turnover in a team-high 35 minutes in a 66-61 win over Virginia Tech (11/28)...Made a runner in the lane with 39 seconds to play to put Penn State up three, 62-59...Scored 11-straight points in the last minute and overtime on his way to a career-high 14 points (nine in overtime) in an 89-86 overtime victory over Seton Hall (12/8)...His second half coast-to-coast drive and dunk sparked the Lions, who trailed by as many as 15...Made three late threes, one to tie the game and one to give PSU its first lead...Added a team-high four assists and a career-best five rebounds...Had a career high six rebounds and added five points and three assists in win over Colgate (12/23)...Scored all of his 14 points in the second half of a 79-68 victory at Northwestern (2/1)...Had eight of those points and two threes early in the first half to spark a 20-4 run that gave PSU the lead after trailing 35-34 at the half...Scored 19 points with a career-best three treys in a 76-73 loss to Minnesota (1/12)...Had just one turnover in a career high 36 minutes against the Gophers full-court press...Had a career game in a head-to-head match-up with freshman sensation Eric Gordon at Indiana (1/20)...Scored a then career high 20 points, making a career-best 4-of-5 from three and 7-of-12 from the floor, while leading the team with four assists and two steals in an 81-65 loss...Scored 11 points and made a career-best four steals in a career high 38 minutes in a 64-49 loss at Iowa (1/26)...Helped lead Penn State to an 85-76 upset of No. 7 Michigan State (2/2) with 17 points and a team-high four assists and two steals in 37 minutes...Made three treys in the game and scored seven straight points in the second half...recorded his sixth straight double-figure game leading Penn State with 14 points, a career-high tying six rebounds and four assists in a 52-51 win over Illinois (2/16)...Scored Penn State's last nine points of the game... Made huge three-pointer with 1:05 to play and stripped Iowa's Justin Johnson just before the buzzer to preserve a 65-64 win over Iowa (2/27)...Battle was SPECTACULAR leading Penn State to a 69-61 win over Michigan (3/1) recording career highs of 28 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and seven threes in the game...Battle had 15 points and seven rebounds at the half...He was scorching hot from the floor hitting 10-of-13 (76.9%) from the floor and 7-of-9 from three, many from beyond 22 feet...Scored 10 points and added six rebounds and a team-high five assists in a 68-64 upset of No. 17 Indiana (3/9)...Made 3-of-4 at the line in overtime to seal the win while playing a career high 43 minutes...Led the Lions with 17 points and added six rebounds and a team high five assists in a 64-63 last second loss to Illinois in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament (3/13).
HIGH SCHOOL
Named to the first team Class AA (largest) New York State Sportswriters Association Boys Basketball All-Star Team as a senior...Named the Large School Player-of-the-Year by the Albany Times Union...Averaged 26.7 points, 5.7 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game as he led Bishop Maginn to the Class AA state title game...Rated a top 100 recruit in the ESPN 150, the No. 17 point-guard recruit in the nation by Rivals.com and No. 25 among point-guards by Scout.com...Ended his career as the fifth leading scorer all-time in New York Section II history with 2,161 points...Led Maginn to the Section II Class AA championship in 2007, the school's first boy's basketball title, and a 23-4 record, the most wins in school history...Ranked third in Section II in scoring and seventh making 54 three-pointers...Posted a season high 47 points in a victory over Troy and had 11 games scoring over 30 points, including a 34-point outing in the state playoffs...Named the Section II tournament Most Valuable Player after rallying his team from a 26-16 halftime deficit to defeat three-time defending champion Christian Brothers Academy in the final...Averaged 29.4 points, 5.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds a game as a junior leading Section II in scoring and posting two 40-point games...Second in Section II with 82 three-pointers while hitting nearly 40 percent from the arc...Named the Big 10 Division Player-of-the-Year and earned multiple Player-of-the-Year honors from the Troy Record, Schenectady Gazette and Fox 23 Sports...Honorable-mention 2006-07 Street & Smith's Boys High School All-America Team...Invited to the Nike All-America Camp...A four-year varsity starter, Battle spent one year at Catholic Central High School in Troy, New York before moving to Maginn...Also lettered in baseball.
PERSONAL
Born in Harrisburg, Pa., on Sept. 16, 1988... He lived there until the age seven...Has many family members still residing in the area...One of nine children, he has four brothers (one older and three younger) and four sisters (one older and three younge)....A member of the National Honor Society, he carried over a 90 percent average in high school and was enrolled in advanced placement classes.
