March 19, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; March 19, 2008- Penn State fans got a glimpse of the future Thursday in the Bryce Jordan Center and they had to have liked what they saw. Playing without senior leader Jamelle Cornley, out with an injured left shoulder, Penn State got 58 points and 30 rebounds from its underclassmen as it sent Rhode Island packing, 83-72, in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament Thursday.
The victory improved Penn State to 24-11 on the year, one shy of a program record, and sent the Lion into their fifth NIT quarterfinal appearance. The Lions are a perfect 4-0 in previous NIT quarterfinals and will face the winner of Friday's contest between No. 1 seed Florida and No. 4 seed Miami, Fla. A Florida victory will send the Lions to Gainesville on Tuesday. A Hurricane win would allow Penn State to host a third NIT game on Wednesday.
"I thought we played well tonight," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "I thought everyone came in and pitched in. The guys off the bench did a nice job. The guys starting the game did a nice job. It was a total team effort."
Putting its free throw troubles behind it, Penn State shot a season-best 27-31 (87.1 percent) from the free throw line and hit 15-of-18 down the stretch to seal its program record 17th home win of the season. Senior Stanley Pringle (Virginia Beach, Va.) led the team with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Andrew Jones (Philadelphia, Pa.) posted a career-best 14 points and added 10 boards for his second double-double of the season. Chris Babb (Arlington, Texas) posted his second-straight career-high night with 13 points while Talor Battle (Albany, N.Y.) started the game 4-of-4 from three before finishing with 16 points, five assists and four boards and eclipsed 900 career points on the night. Battle left the game with three minutes to play with an injury to his left hip. He did return to the bench and was able to walk off the floor.
After jumping to a 15-point lead, 20-5, after eight minutes of play Penn State never trailed in the game and led by as many as 16 in the second half. Battle had nine early points, all on threes, and fellow sophomores Jones, Jeff Brooks and David Jackson all joined in the early scoring as the Lions took control following a 12-0 run.
Rhode Island sliced the margin to three with its own 12-0 run sparked by Jimmy Baron and Kahiem Seawright. Baron would lead the Rams with 24 points on 6-of-12 shooting from three, while Seawright posted 17 points before fouling out with 3:18 to play.
Leading 20-17 Penn State continued the game of runs with a 10-2 spurt which was book-ended by three point field goals by Babb and Battle. The Lions led 30-19 with 6:06 to play in the half.
Penn State finished the half outscoring the Rams, 12-10. Babb scored six of the final 12 Nittany Lion points, which included a nice reverse lay-up with 1:58 remaining. A Pringle jumper gave Penn State a 13-point edge, 42-29, at the half. Seven players scored for Penn State in the first stanza, including 14 from sophomore Battle and nine from Babb. Penn State improved to 21-1 on the season when leading at halftime.
Rhode Island kicked-off the second half outscoring Penn State 12-6 and cut the Lion lead to a manageable seven points. Penn State however extended its lead, going on an 8-0 run, including a dunk and a lay-up back-to-back for Jones. Babb's second three of the night gave the Lions their biggest lead of the game, 59-43, with 12:33 to play.
The Rams once again battle back running off a 10-2 run, including five points from Baron and a dunk from James Delroy. Penn State pushed its lead back to 13 with five-straight point from Pringle.
Leading 68-55 with 8:07 to play, Penn State again saw the Rams threaten as a Lamonte Ulmer jumper and dunk and a Seawright reverse lay-up had Rhode Island within seven, 68-61. Penn State's final 15 points came from the foul line. Seawright fouled Jones with 3:18 to go, giving him his fifth foul to force the impact player out of the game. Jones sunk both free throws. Senior Danny Morrissey (Cleveland, Ohio) buried a pair of free throws, but Delroy converted on an and-one lay-up and the Rams were within six with 2:23 to play.
Morrissey again went to the line and hit a pair followed by two free throws from Jackson and the Lion lead was back to 10. Rhode Island never threatened again as Pringle, Morrissey and Babb made free throws in the final 1:30.
-NITTANY LIONS-