Nov. 16, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.; Nov. 16, 2011 -Penn State (2-0) continues play in the 2011 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. as it takes on Long Island in the Bryce Jordan Center. All Penn State students who bring a canned good to Gate A will receive free admission.
Penn State will look to improve to 3-0 for just the fourth time in the last 12 years and eighth time since joining the Big Ten in 1993. Penn State has reached the post-season every season it has started 3-0 since joining the Big Ten.
Long Island (0-2) will be Penn State's last home opponent in the tournament 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 - 2-0 (1st at PSU); 44-28 (3rd Overall) LIU: Jim Ferry - 125-142 (10th at LIU); 229-161 (14th overall)
NEXT UP: Penn State will travel to Connecticut for two games in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena. First up is a match-up with 2011 Final Four participant Kentucky. The Lions are 1-2 all-time vs. the Wildcats falling to UK twice in the NCAA tournament in the 1950's and posting a 73-68 victory in the last meeting in Lexington in 2000. PSU is 8-16 all-time vs. SEC teams.
THE GAME:
Penn State and Long Island will meet for the fourth time and the first since meeting three-straight seasons from 2004-06. The Lions are 3-0 all-time vs. LIU. The Lions posted a 66-45 victory at the BJC in the last meeting in 2006 and won 80-64 at the BJC in 2005. LIU posted a 27-6 record and reached the NCAA Tournament last year. The Blackbirds are picked to win the Northeast Conference. Penn State is 23-1 all-time vs. NEC teams.
LOOKING FOR 3-0:
Penn State will be looking to start 3-0 for the second-straight year, but for just the third time in the last 12 years and seventh since joining the Big Ten conference in 1993. The Lions have reached the post season every year they have started a season 3-0 since joining the Big Ten including 2011 (NCAA), 2009 (NIT title), 2006 (NIT) and 2000 (NIT) since 2000.
HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT:
Penn State is playing in its first pre-season tournament since the 2009 Charleston Classic. It opened play in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament Monday with a victory over Radford. Penn State holds a 66-82 all-time record in in-season tournaments, claiming 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.
FRAZIER GOES FOR 20 & 10:
Junior guard Tim Frazier posted his second career double-double in the Lions' victory over Radford (11/14) as he logged his second career 20-point game and equaled a career high assist total leading the team with 20 points and 10 assists while also adding six rebounds and three steals. Frazier equaled his career-best 10 assists posted at Northwestern last year, also his first double-double. The 6-1, guard hit 9-of-14 from the floor. Frazier scored 11 of the Lions' final 19 points in the first half and assisted for two others as Penn State went from trailing 10-11 to a 29-20, halftime lead.
SCOUTING LONG ISLAND:
Long Island will be playing its third straight road game to open the 2011-12 season, having dropped the first two falling at Hofstra (89-71) and at Old Dominion (77-69). The Blackbirds are shooting 45 percent and averaging 70 ppg on the year, but are giving up 83 ppg, allowing opponents to shoot 53.2 percent from the floor and 44.7 percent from three and are giving up 20 turnovers per game. Three LIU players average double figures led by Jamal Olsewere (6-7) leads the team posting 12.5 ppg and adds 5.5 rpg. LIU was picked to finish first in the Northeast Conference in a vote of the league's head coaches. Forwards Julian Boyd (6-7) and Olasewere were named to the Preseason All-NEC Team. Boyd is an All-NEC First Team selection who led the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.9 rpg) and tied for the league lead with 12 double-doubles last year. Olasewere ranked second on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg). The Blackbirds finished 27-6 last season with a 16-2 mark in NEC play. LIU defeated Robert Morris 85-82 in overtime to win the conference tournament and earn an NCAA Tournament berth were they fell to North Carolina, 102-87. The Blackbirds won a nation-best 13 games on the road last year and their offense ranked fourth nationally with 82.7 points per game.
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.
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. He started his fourth career game in the Lions' second contest vs. Radford and once again led the Lions in rebounding equalling his career high with seven.
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.
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.
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.
LAST TIME OUT: Penn State 62, Radford 46, Nov. 14, University Park, Pa.
Junior Tim Frazier posted his second career double-double and equaled a career high in assists as he led Penn State with 20 points and 10 assists and added six rebounds and three steals. Frazier was the only Lion in double-figures. Penn State used a 14-0 run and an 8:25 Radford drought to come from 11-5 down to a 19-11 lead in the first half and would never trail again. Leading 29-20 at the half, Penn State got three straight treys from Billy Oliver, Trey Lewis and Cam Woodyard to push its lead to 16. Penn State led by double-digits the rest of the way and by as much as 22. Radford shot just 26.9 percent in the first half and 34 percent for the game and was led by 16 points from Jareal Smith who scored the Highlanders' first 11 points of the game.
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.
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