Jan. 3, 2012
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FACULTY/STAFF NIGHT: ALL PENN STATE FACULTY AND STAFF GET IN FOR $5 WHEN SHOWING A VALID PENN STATE ID AT ANY BJC GATE
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., JAN. 3, 2012 - Penn State (8-7; 0-2 Big Ten) will play the first Big Ten home game of the Patrick Chambers era Thursday when the Nittany Lions take on Purdue (12-3; 2-0 Big Ten) in an 8:00 p.m. tip at the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network and can be heard across Pennsylvania on the Penn State Sports Network. It will be Penn State Faculty/Staff Night at the BJC with all Penn State faculty and staff getting in for $5 when showing a valid Penn State ID at any Jordan Center gate.
Penn State and Purdue played one of the most thrilling games of the 2011 season in their last meeting. The then No. 10 ranked Boilermakers staved off a major Nittany Lion upset bid when Big Ten Player-of-the-Year JaJuan Johnson hit an 18-foot jump shot with three seconds to play for a 63-62 Purdue victory.
Penn State returns to the Jordan Center for the first time since a Dec. 21 victory over Cornell in which the Lions posted their sixth 70-point game of the season. The Lions opened their 20th Big Ten campaign with a pair of road losses at No. 16 Michigan (71-53) and at Northwestern (68-56). The Big Ten leads the nation in the RPI and Sagarin rankings and is tied for the lead with five teams ranked in the latest national polls.
Junior guard Tim Frazier (Houston, Texas) continues to be the only player in NCAA Division I averaging at least 17 points and 6.5 assists per game. He ranks third in the Big Ten scoring 17.3 ppg. Purdue's Robbie Hummel is right behind him in fourth at 16.5 ppg. Frazier logged four steals at Northwestern to give him 33 on the year, nearly matching his team-leading total of 35 from last year, and putting him on pace to become the first Lion ever to eclipse 500 points, 150 assists and 50 steals in the same season.
Penn State will return to the Jordan Center on Jan. 8 for a noon match-up with No. 12 Indiana. Penn State has won six of the last seven games vs. Indiana. It will be Penn State Basketball Alumni Day with numerous former lettermen returning for the contest.
PENN STATE (8-7; 0-2 Big Ten) vs. PURDUE (12-3; 2-0 Big Ten)
THURSDAY, JAN. 5, 2012 @ 8:00 P.M. (ET)
BRYCE JORDAN CENTER (15,261) • UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.
GAME INFO
PROMOTION: Faculty/Staff Night: All Penn State faculty staff get in for $5 when showing at a valid ID at any Jordan Center gate.
TELEVISION: BTN: Tom Hart & Keno Davis
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network; Local: 1450 AM; Sirius: CH 113; XM; CH 190
Steve Jones (p-by-p) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
LIVE STATS & AUDIO:
COACHES:
PENN STATE: Patrick Chambers - 8-7 (1st at PSU); 50-35 (3rd Overall)
PURDUE: Matt Painter - 150-67 (7th at Purdue); 175-72 (8th overall)
RPI: Penn State: #151; Purdue: #47
NEXT UP:
Penn State will look to continue recent success vs. Indiana when the teams meet Sunday in the BJC. PSU has won two straight and six of the last seven in the series. Indiana leads the series 28-9 and is 11-5 in State College, including a 67-61 victory in their last trip to the BJC in 2010. The Lions won at IU in last year's Big Ten opener and downed the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament first round.
THE GAME:
Penn State will return to the Jordan Center for a pair of games vs. schools from Indiana starting Jan. 5 vs. Purdue. The Boilermakers lead the series 26-10 and are 10-8 in State College. Penn State has dropped the last six games and 10 of the last 11 in the series, including a 63-62 heartbreaker in West Lafayette last year. Big Ten Player-of -the-Year JaJuan Johnson buried an 18-footer with three seconds to play to win that game. The Lions' Jermaine Marshall had a then career-high 18 points in last year's meeting in State College. The Lions last win came 67-64 in the Jordan Center in 2009. Penn State will be playing Purdue for the fourth straight year at home with the Penn State student body on a break. The teams also met last year on Jan. 5 in the BJC. Penn State returns to classes on Jan. 9 and has been off since Dec. 18.
SCOUTING PURDUE:
The Boilermakers (12-3) bring a three-game win streak into Thursday after posting wins at Iowa (79-76) and vs. Illinois (75-60) to open the Big Ten season. This will be just their third road game of the season, having previously won at Iowa and dropped a close 66-63 game at Xavier. Their other losses on the year have come to Alabama (65-56) and Butler (67-65). Senior Robbie Hummel leads the team and is fourth in the Big Ten posting 16.5 ppg. He is also eighth in rebounding at 6.5 rpg. Ryne Smith leads the Big Ten hitting 2.9 threes per game and is shooting 46% from three. He joins guard Lewis Jackson posting just over 10 points per game. The Boilers are second in the Big Ten with a +5.5 turnover margin and commit just 9.7 turnovers per game. They are scoring 74.5 ppg while giving up just 60.7. Ryne Smith.
LAST YEAR VS PURDUE:
Penn State lost a heartbreaker last year in West Lafayette in the last meeting between the teams, as Big Ten Player of the Year JaJuan Johnson buried an 18-footer with three seconds to play for a 63-62 win. Johnson had 25 points in the game, which #14 Purdue led by 14 early after hitting six of its first eight from three. Jeff Brooks had 19 to lead Penn State, which took a 62-61 lead on a David Jackson three with 18 seconds left. Then No. 10-ranked Purdue posted an 83-68 victory in State College behind 20 points on 5-of-5 from three from Ryne Smith. Jermaine Marshall scored a then career-high 18 points of the bench for PSU. Talor Battle had 18 and Jeff Brooks a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Purdue dominated the boards in the second half 28-12 to open up a five-point halftime lead.
MARSHALL'S GREAT EIGHT:
Jermaine Marshall has established himself as a consistent scorer over the last eight games posting seven double-digit outings and 109 total points and 45 rebounds. He entered the eight-game stretch having posted a total of 98 points and 24 rebounds in the previous 34 games on his career. Marshall is averaging 13.6 ppg and 5.6 rpg over the stretch while shooting a team-best 14-of-33 (42%) from three, having twice hit a career-high three treys in a game and made multiple threes in five games. Marshall was 8-of-43 (18%) from three on his career prior to the stretch. He will look to continue his productive run vs. Purdue. Marshall posted a then career-high 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting (2-4 from three) on Jan. 5 last year vs. Purdue in the Jordan Center.
FRAZIER COLLECTING THEFTS:
Tim Frazier posted four steals in the Lions' last outing vs. Northwestern, his 11th game with multiple steals on the year, including a career-best five in the season-opener. With 33 steals, he has nearly eclipsed his team-leading total of 35 posted last year. Frazier ranks second in the Big Ten posting 2.2 spg, many coming while playing on the back end of the Lions' 1-2-2 press. Frazier is currently on pace for a Penn State top 10 season steal total of 70+ steals, which would be the most for a Lion in a decade. Stanley Pringle's 49 steals in 2009 are the most by a Lion in the last 10 years.
FRAZIER FILLING STAT LINES LIKE FEW OTHERS:
Leading Penn State in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals, Tim Frazier is currently on pace to become the first Lion ever to post a top 10 season in scoring, assists and steals in the same year. At his current pace, he could become the first Lion ever to eclipse 500 points, 150 assists and 50 steals in the same year. Currently fourth among active career assist leaders in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor, Purdue's Lewis Jackson and Iowa's Bryce Cartwright, Frazier's 17. 3 points and 6.7 assists per game have him on pace to become just the fifth Lion ever to eclipse 300 points and 150 assists in a season. The feat has been accomplished six times total, the last by Talor Battle with 635 points and 189 assists in 2009.
FORCING TURNOVERS:
Penn State grabbed eight steals at Northwestern, the Lions' sixth game of the year with eight or more. Northwestern had 12 turnovers in the game, eight in the first half, after entering the game averaging 9.9 per contest.
LAST TIME OUT:
Northwestern 68, Penn State 56, Jan. 1 • Evanston, Ill.
Penn State led 26-23 at the half despite shooting just 25.8% in the first 20 minutes, but saw Northwestern hit 10 of its first 11 in the second half and torch the nets at 71% in the second 20 minutes to run away with a 68-56 victory. The win snapped a six-game Lion win streak over Northwestern. The game was tied at 40 with 13:13 to play when NU went on an 8-0 run sparked by a pair of threes. The Wildcats would out-score Penn State 23-10 over the next 10 minutes to take a 63-50 lead with 4:51 to play. The game had seen nine ties and nine lead changes to that point. Penn State got no closer than nine the rest of the way. Tim Frazier led Penn State with 16 points. The Lions shot 34% and had 15 turnovers. Drew Crawford (21) and Dave Sobolewski (20) paced NU.
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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