Jan. 16, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., Jan. 16, 2009 - The Nittany Lion basketball team will look to post its first win ever in Indiana's Assembly Hall Saturday when they take on the Hoosier (5-11; 0-4 Big Ten) in a 6:00 p.m. tip on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State enters Saturday's game with a 13-5 record (2-3 Big Ten) after a near upset of No. 7 Michigan State Wednesday in the Bryce Jordan Center. Senior Jamelle Cornley (14.5 ppg) led the Lions with a career high 26 points in that game and moved into 11th all-time at Penn State in scoring with 1,311 points. The leading active scorer in the Big Ten, Cornley will get help from Big Ten leading scorer Talor Battle (18.9 ppg) and fellow guard Stanley Pringle (14.2 ppg) who is averaging over 20 points per game in Penn State's four road games thus far on the season.
Penn State is 0-15 in its previous trips to Indiana, having come within four points (69-65 in 2006) and five points (68-63 in 2005) of victory in two occasions under Coach Ed DeChellis.
The Hoosiers have lost nine straight after a 77-53 defeat at Ohio State on Tuesday. They bring a 5-11 mark and 0-4 Big Ten record into the game in their first season under Tom Crean who took Marquette to the 2003 Final Four. Five of the Hoosiers top six scorers are freshman and their leading scorer, Devan Dumes (12.5 ppg), is a junior college transfer. Freshman forward Tom Pritchard is a leading candidate for Big Ten Freshman of the Year averaging 12.4 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. IU is 4-3 at home on the year with losses to Northeastern (55-42), Lipscomb (74-69) and Michigan (72-66 OT). IU ranks at the bottom of the Big Ten in scoring offense (60.4 ppg), defense (70.4 ppg) and field goal percentage (42.3) and averages nearly 19 turnovers per game.
Penn State will return to the Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday when they take on No. 24 Michigan in a 9:00 p.m. tip on the Big Ten Network.