Nov. 14, 2011
Penn State Freshmen Get In FREE On "Dollar Dog Night"
Lions begin play in Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.; Nov. 14, 2011 - All Penn State freshmen will get in free of charge and all fans can enjoy "Dollar Dog Night" when Penn State takes on Radford at 7:00 p.m. Monday in the Bryce Jordan Center in the Nittany Lions' first game of the 2011 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament.
Radford will be the first of two home opponents Penn State will face in the HOFT Tournament. The Lions will also face 2011 NCAA Tournament participant Long Island Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. before heading to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., to take on Kentucky (noon) on Saturday, Nov. 19 and either Old Dominion or South Florida (2:30 p.m.) on Sunday, Nov. 20.
GAME INFO
TELEVISION: BTN.com: Jeff Lowe (p-by-p), Glenn Sekunda (analyst)
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network Local: 1450 AM: Steve Jones (p-by-p) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
WEB: Gametracker & Audio at: GoPSUsports.com
COACHES: PENN STATE: Patrick Chambers - 1-0 (1st at PSU); 43-28 (3rd Overall) RADFORD: Mike Jones - 2-0 (1st at Radford); same overall
NEXT UP: Penn State will play its second game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament on Wednesday when it faces Long Island at 7:00 p.m. in the BJC. The Lions are 3-0 all-time vs. LIU as the teams played three straight years from 2004 to 2006. PSU posted a 66-45 victory at the BJC in the last meeting in 2006 and won 80-64 at the BJC in 2005. LIU reached the NCAA Tournament last year.
THE GAME:
Penn State and Radford have never met. The Nittany Lions are 2-0 all-time vs. teams from the Big South Conference. Penn State will look to improve to 2-0 to start a season for the sixth-straight year. Penn State won its season opener for the seventh-straight season on Saturday downing Hartford, 70-55. The Lions started 4-0 last year.
FRESHMEN FREE:
For the second straight season, Penn State will welcome all Penn State freshmen to experience Penn State basketball for free for one game.
HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT:
Penn State will play in its first pre-season tournament since the 2009 Charleston Classic when it opens play in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament Monday. Penn State holds a 65-82 all-time record in in-season tournaments and has claimed 10 titles and 11 second- place finishes. Eight teams will compete in the 2011 HOF tournament with Old Dominion (CAA), Penn State (Big Ten), Kentucky (SEC) and South Florida (Big East) hosting two games on campus sites and Vermont (America East), Long Island (Northeast), Marist (MAAC) and Radford (Big South) playing games at those sites. All eight teams will advance to games Saturday and Sunday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. with two separate sessions and four games being played on each day. Penn State will play Kentucky on Saturday in first round action of Bracket 2 before facing either ODU or S. Florida (which play each other Saturday) on Sunday. Both of Penn State's games will appear on the ESPN3 on-line viewing platform.
LEWIS LEADS TEAM IN DEBUT:
Freshman Trey Lewis, the runner-up for Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" award in 2011, was outstanding in his first collegiate game leading Penn State to a season-opening victory with a team-high 17 points on 3-of-6 shooting from three. Lewis also added four assists, two boards and two steals in the game in 31 minutes of action after starting the contest. Lewis scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half as Penn State pushed a 10-point halftime lead to as much as 26 and junior guard Tim Frazier spent much of the half on the bench with four fouls. Lewis scored 10-straight points hitting a pair of threes and two lay-ups beginning midway through the half to push Penn State's lead to 18. Lewis finished 7-of-13 from the floor.
CHAMBERS WINS PENN STATE DEBUT:
Patrick Chambers won the first season opener of his career in his Penn State debut as the Lions downed Hartford 70-55 on Nov. 12. The 12th head coach in Penn State history, Chambers became just the second of the last six Nittany Lion coaches to win his Penn State debut joining Jerry Dunn (1996) and Bruce Parkhill (1983). Coaches Ed DeChellis (2003), Dick Harter (1978) and John Bach (1968) all fell in their debuts. Eight of Penn State's 12 head coaches have won their debut, including the Lions' first coach Burke Hermann in 1916. Chambers had been 0-2 in season opening games - having lost a pair of road season opening contests in his two seasons as head coach at Boston University.
STEALING:
Penn State posted 15 steals in its season opening win vs. Hartford, the most for a Lion team since logging 18 in a 2001 NCAA Tournament victory over North Carolina. Penn State forced Hartford into 26 turnovers, the second most-ever in the Bryce Jordan Center and the most since Nicholls State had 27 in 2005. Tim Frazier (5) and Cammeron Woodyard (4) both posted career highs in steals to lead six Lions who logged a steal.
SCOUTING RADFORD:
The Highlanders opened the season with victories over Delaware (58-54) and Shenandoah (79-50) at home on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Guards Jareal Smith and R.J. Price led Radford with 13 points each in the season-opener while forward Johnathan Edwards paced the Highlanders with 16 in the win over Shenandoah. Edwards, a transfer from Tyler JC, leads the team averaging 13.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg, but is just 11-of-22 from the foul line. Price is 6-of-12 from three on the year. Radford is averaging 68.5 ppg and 44.0 rpg after two contests while shooting 41 percent from the floor. Led by first-year coach Mike Jones, Radford returns three starters and seven lettermen from a team that went 5-24 last year 2-16 in the Big South. Ten underclassmen fill the roster, including six freshman. The Highlanders' top two scorers from last year return led by 6-3 sophomore guard Jareal Smith (9.6 ppg last year).
SENIOR SUCCESS:
Penn State's lone senior, Cammeron Woodyard, has spent his first three seasons playing an average of just 8.7 minutes per game (including a high of 10. 4 mpg last year) and has never averaged more than the 2.2 ppg he posted in 24 contests as a freshman. He showed that may all change this year when he posted career highs in points (14), rebounds (7), threes (4) and steals (4) in 27 minutes of action off the bench in Penn State's season opening victory over Hartford. This despite missing the first two weeks of practice after having minor surgery on his left knee. Woodyard hit 4-of-7 from three in the contest and tied for the team lead in rebounding.
FIVE GAMES IN NINE DAYS:
Penn State gets the 2011-12 season started with a flurry of games. Penn State will play its first five games of the season in nine days, including four as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament starting next week. Penn State will play its first two games in that tournament at home on Monday (vs. Radford) and Wednesday (vs. Long Island) before departing Friday for games at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut on Saturday (vs. Kentucky) and Sunday (vs. South Florida or Old Dominion). Penn State could potentially face three teams (Long Island, Kentucky and Old Dominion) that played in the 2011 NCAA Tournament during that stretch.
Season tickets for Nittany Lion Basketball are $200 for adults, $170 for faculty/staff and seniors, $80 for youth (18 and under) and $59 for students. Lady Lion Basketball season tickets are $117 for adults, $91 for faculty/staff and seniors and $52 for youth. Penn State students will be admitted for free to Lady Lion basketball games beginning this season.
PNC Flex Books are also available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, 10 that can be redeemed in any combination for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets throughout the year and two extra vouchers for the Nittany Lions' Coaches Vs. Cancer game on Feb. 11 vs. Nebraska and the Lady Lions' Think Pink game on Feb. 26 vs. Minnesota.
For all the latest information, notes, pictures and related links on Penn State basketball follow Associate Athletic Communications Director Brian Siegrist on Twitter (@PSUSTRETCH) and check GoPSUsports.com. The Nittany Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatebasketball.
-NITTANY LIONS-