Jan. 21, 2012
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., JAN. 22, 2012 - Coming off its first victory over a ranked opponent in the Patrick Chambers era, Penn State (10-10; 2-5 Big Ten) will travel to No. 11/13 Indiana (15-4; 3-4 Big Ten) for a noon tip Sunday on the Big Ten Network. The game can also be heard live across Pennsylvania on the Penn State Sports Network.
Junior guard Tim Frazier's (Houston, Texas) 12-foot floater with eight seconds to play propelled the Lions to a 54-52 victory over No. 22 Illinois Thursday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Illini were the first of three-straight Top 25 ranked teams Penn State will face over six days. Penn State also travels to No. 6 Ohio State on Wednesday.
The Lions have won in their last two trips to Indiana's Assembly Hall, including a 69-60 victory in the Big Ten opener last year, and have been victorious in six of the last eight meetings between the programs. The Hoosier's hit 16 threes and shot 67 percent from the arc to pull out a thrilling 88-82 win on Jan. 8 at the Jordan Center. Matt Roth and Jordan Hulls combined to shoot 12-of-15 from three in that game and enter Sunday's contest ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the Big Ten in three-point percentage, both above 50 percent.
Senior Cammeron Woodyard (Westminster, Md.) led Penn State in scoring for the second-straight game as he logged 17 points vs. the Illini and is averaging 19.5 ppg in his last two outings.
Frazier continues to lead the Big Ten with nine 20-point or better games on the year and remains the only player in NCAA Division I averaging at least 17 points and 6.5 assists per game. He currently stands eighth in the NCAA with 6.7 assists per game after posting nine vs. Illinois, his seven game with nine or more assists on the year.
Penn State will continue a two-game road swing Wednesday at No. 6 Ohio State. That game is set of a 6:30 p.m. tip on the Big Ten Network.
PENN STATE (10-10; 2-5 Big Ten) vs. #11/13 INDIANA (15-4; 3-4 Big Ten)
SUNDAY, JAN. 122, 2012 @ NOON (ET)
ASSEMBLY HALL (17,357) • BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA
GAME INFO
TELEVISION: BTN: Tom Hart & Dan Bonner
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network; Local: 1450 AM; Sirius: CH 91; XM; CH 91
Steve Jones (p-by-p) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
LIVE STATS & AUDIO:
COACHES:
PENN STATE: Patrick Chambers - 10-10 (1st at PSU); 52-38 (3rd Overall)
IINDIANA: Tom Crean - 43-70 (4th at IU); 233-166 (13th Overall)
RPI: Penn State: #123 ; Indiana: #23
NEXT UP:
Penn State will continue a two-game road swing and play the third of three-straight games vs. ranked opponents on Wednesday when the Lions head to No. 6 Ohio State. It will be the only regular season meeting with the Buckeyes who lead the series 30-13 and 16-4 in Columbus. PSU has lost 16-straight games to OSU and eight-straight in Columbus with the last win there coming in 2001 (78-75
THE GAME:
Penn State will hit the road for a pair of games starting Sunday with a noon tip at No. 11/13 Indiana. The game will mark the second in a stretch of three-straight games against teams ranked in the Top 25. Penn State has won in its last two trips to Assembly Hall, including a 69-60 victory in the Big Ten opener last year. The Lions have won six of the last eight games in the series, but fell 88-82 to IU in the BJC on Jan. 8 as the Hoosiers hit 16 threes on 67% shooting from the arc. IU holds a 15-2 advantage in Bloomington and a 29-9 series lead overall. Patrick Chambers earned his first victory as a head coach when his Boston University team downed Indiana, 71-67, at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan on Nov. 20, 2009.
SCOUTING INDIANA:
After torching the Lions with 16 threes and 67% shooting from the arc, Indiana (15-4; 3-4 Big Ten) has lost its last three games falling at home to Minnesota (77-74) and on the road at Ohio State (80-63) and Nebraska (70-69). The Hoosiers were led by 18 points and seven rebounds from freshman Cody Zeller at Nebraska. Zeller leads IU with 14.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Five players average double-figures for an IU team that leads the Big Ten posting 80.2 ppg and shooting 49.8% from the floor and 45% from three. Matt Roth (59.5%) and Jordan Hulls (51.2%), who combined to shoot 12-of-15 from three in IU's win in State College, rank first and second in the Big Ten in three-point percentage.
LAST TIME VS. INDIANA:
Penn State withstood a near Big Ten record barrage of Indiana threes and 66.7% shooting from the arc by the Hoosiers to get within two points three times in the final minute before IU escaped with an 88-82 victory. Indiana hit 16-of-24 from three, one off the Big Ten record, and hit seven straight threes in the first half, but the Lions battled back from double-digit deficits on four occasions to cut the lead to five points or less. The Lions produced their highest scoring total in Big Ten play since 2010 getting 21 points and seven assists from Tim Frazier and 20 points from Jermaine Marshall. Jordan Hulls hit 7-of-9 from three for a career-high 28 and Matt Roth downed 5-of-6 for 22 points. Penn State trailed by five at the half and 84-82 with 21 seconds to play.
Penn State won a pair of meetings vs. Indiana last year, dropping the Hoosier's 69-60 in Bloomington in the Big Ten opener for both teams and posting a 61-55 victory in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Jeff Brooks led the Lions in both games posting 23 points and 8 rebounds in Bloomington and 15 points and 7 boards in the tournament. Penn State shot 54% in Bloomington and led 34-25 at the half. Verdell Jones (15) and Victor Oladipo (14) led the Hoosiers.
LIONS DOWN No. 22 ILLINI FOR CHAMBERS' FIRST TOP 25 VICTORY:
One game after No. 22 Illinois knocked off No. 6 Ohio State in Champaign, Penn State held the Illini to 34 percent shooting and 18 points below their season scoring average to deliver the first victory over a team ranked in the Top 25 in coach Patrick Chambers' three-year head coaching career. In just his eighth-ever meeting vs. a team ranked in the Top 25 and fourth as Penn State coach, Chambers delivered a 54-52 victory to a boisterous, gray-clad home crowd of more than 2,000 students. Senior Cammeron Woodyard led the way with 17 points and Tim Frazier added 12 points, nine assists and a game-winning 12-foot floater with eight seconds to play. Chambers joined Jerry Dunn (1996-2003) and John Egli (1955-68) as the only coaches in Penn State history to defeat a ranked team in their first season at the helm. Dunn & Egli both did it in their second game vs. a ranked foe.
...AND HE'S CLUTCH TOO!:
Not only is junior guard Tim Frazier posting statistical numbers matched by very few players in the nation, he now can add "clutch" to his resume after sinking a 12-foot, game-winning floater with eight seconds to play to break a tie game and send Penn State to a 54-52 victory over No. 22/25 Illinois in the Bryce Jordan Center (1/19). Frazier stepped into the role occupied by Talor Battle over the previous four seasons and hit nothing-but-net in the first game-winning attempt of his career.
WOODYARD GONE WILD:
Senior Cammeron Woodyard led Penn State in scoring for the second-straight game posting 17 points on 3-of-4 from three and 6-of-10 from the floor in a victory over No. 22 Illinois (1/19). He had never led the team in scoring in his previous 93 career games. Woodyard is posting 19.5 ppg while shooting 50% from the floor, 41% from three (5-12) and 10-of-10 at the line in his last two games. He has performed well at home averaging 11.9 ppg and posting nine of his 10 double-digit scoring games on the year in the BJC. He is shooting 47.8% from the floor and 43.8% (21-48) from three in home games. Woodyard leads the team shooting 87.2% (34-39) from the foul line on the year and has missed just one free throw (25-26) in 10 games since Dec. 7.
WOODYARD'S CAREER NIGHT:
Senior Cammeron Woodyard posted a career-best 22 points on a career-best 8-of-8 from the foul line and 6-of-14 from the floor in a loss to Minnesota (1/15). Woodyard passed his previous career-best (14 points twice on the year) with 15 points and all eight free throws in the first half of the game.
LAST TIME OUT:
Penn State 54, #22 Illinois 52, Jan. 19 • University Park, Pa.
Tim Frazier's 12-foot floater with eight seconds to play delivered the first victory over a Top 25 team in the Patrick Chambers era. The Lions led for virtually the entire second half until the Illini tied the game at 52 with 40 seconds to play on a Brandon Paul three. Cammeron Woodyard led the Lions with 17 points and Frazier added 12 points and nine assists. Paul led all scorers with 20 points, but PSU held the Illini to 34% shooting and 18 points below their season scoring average with a combination of zone, man-to-man, and 1-2-2 press defenses. The Lions donned gray jerseys for the first time in program history. PSU led 25-23 at the half and by as much as nine in the second. The Illini cut the lead to one three times in the second half, but never reclaimed the lead.
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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