Feb. 7, 2012
Watch Player Preview Interviews and Read Keys to the Game
DON'T MISS: COACHES VS. CANCER "BAND TOGETHER" DAY, SAT., FEB. 11 VS. NEBRASKA
• $3 FROM EVERY TICKET GOES TO CVC
• $3 RALLY TOWELS AT THE DOOR - SUPPORT CVC
• SILENT AUCTION ON THE CONCOURSE
• CANCER SURVIVORS & FAMILIES GET UP TO 4 FREE TICKETS - contact Nathan Leopard (Nathan.Leopard@cancer.org, 814-234-1023) of the American Cancer Society.
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Penn State Basketball Show Live Thursdays from Damon's Grill
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., FEB. 7, 2012 - Penn State (10-14; 2-9 Big Ten) will finish a run of four of five games on the road and play its fifth vs. a ranked foe in its last six Wednesday as the Nittany Lions travel to East Lansing to face No. 11 Michigan State (18-5; 7-3 Big Ten) in a 6:30 p.m. tip on the Big Ten Network. The game can also be heard live across Pennsylvania on the Penn State Sports Network.
In his last outing, junior guard Tim Frazier (Houston, Texas) joined Talor Battle and Joe Crispin as just the third Lion ever to post at least 400 points and 150 assists in a season. Frazier is coming off back-to-back 20-point outings and brings a Big Ten leading 12 20-point games into Wednesday's clash. He needs 62 more points on the year to become the first Lion ever to record at least 500 points, 150 assists and 50 steals in the same season.
Sophomore Jermaine Marshall (Etters, Pa.) posted his 14th double-figure scoring game of the season Saturday in the Lions' loss at Iowa and has posted 13 such games in his last 17 outings for an average of 12.2 ppg over that stretch.
Penn State downed the Spartans twice in three meetings last year, posting a 66-62 upset of No. 18 Michigan State in the Bryce Jordan Center and running past the Spartans for a 61-48 victory in the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Tournament. Frazier posted then career highs of 22 points and eight rebounds in that game as Penn State advanced to its first-ever Big Ten Tournament Championship game and solidified a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
One of the top rebounding teams in the nation, Michigan State is coming off a 64-54 victory over No. 23 Michigan in East Lansing on Sunday, a game in which the Spartans won the rebounding battle, 40-16, behind 16 rebounds and 14 points from senior forward Draymond Green. Green leads the Big Ten pulling down 10.5 rebounds per game.
Penn State will return to the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday for Coaches vs. Cancer "Band Together" Day. The Lions will face Nebraska in a 1:00 p.m. tip on ESPNU. Three dollars from every ticket sold will go toward Coaches vs. Cancer and fans can purchase $3 "Band Together" Rally Towels at the door and participate in a silent auction on the concourse to further help the cause.
PENN STATE (10-14; 2-9 Big Ten) @ No. 11/12 MICHIGAN STATE (18-5; 7-3 Big Ten)
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8, 2012 @ 6:30 P.M. (ET)
EAST LANSING, MICH. • BRESLIN CENTER (14,797)
GAME INFO
TELEVISION: BTN: Tom Hart & Eddie Johnson
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network
Local: 1450 AM; Sirius: CH 92; XM; CH 190
Steve Jones (p-by-p) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
LIVE STATS & AUDIO:
COACHES:
PENN STATE: Patrick Chambers - 10-14 (1st at PSU); 52-42 (3rd Overall)
MICHIGAN STATE: Tom Izzo - 401-166 (17th at MSU); Same Overall
RPI: Penn State: #144; Michigan State: #6
NEXT UP:
Penn State returns to the BJC for Coaches vs. Cancer "Band Together" Day Saturday vs. Nebraska. The Huskers claimed a 70-58 victory in Lincoln in January. It will be NU's first trip to State College since a 60-58 PSU victory in Rec Hall in December of 1981 and their first as a member of the Big Ten. The series is tied at 2-2, with PSU holding a 1-0 lead in State College.
THE GAME:
Penn State will complete a run of four of five games on the road and play its fifth ranked foe in six games at No. 11 Michigan State on Wednesday. The Lions downed MSU 61-48 in last year's Big Ten Tournament semifinal, behind a then career-high 22 points from Tim Frazier, and have won two of the last three meetings with MSU. The Spartans lead the series 29-7 overall and are 18-1 in East Lansing, with Penn State's win coming 72-68 in 2009. This will be the lone regular-season meeting between the programs this year. The Lions will be looking for their first road win in the Big Ten this season after falling to 0-6 in Big Ten road games with a 77-64 loss at Iowa in their last outing.
SCOUTING MSU:
One of the best rebounding teams in the country, Michigan State (18-5) is coming off a 64-54 victory over No. 23 Michigan in East Lansing on Sunday - a game in which the Spartans dominated the glass 40-16 behind 16 rebounds and 14 points from 6-7 senior Draymond Green. Green leads the Big Ten posting 10.5 rpg and has helped MSU post a rebound margin of +10.5, the third-best in the country. The Spartans are 14-0 at home on the year and stand a game out of first in the Big Ten with a 7-3 conference mark. Green leads MSU scoring 14.8 ppg and Keith Appling adds 11.9 ppg and 3.8 apg. MSU leads the Big Ten posting 39.9 rebounds and 16.2 assists per game and is second only to Penn State in offensive rebounding at 12.9 per game. MSU ranks in the top four of 17 statistical categories in the Big Ten, including every defensive category.
LAST TIME VS. MSU:
Penn State won two of three meetings with the Spartans last year downing No. 18 MSU, 66-62, in the BJC and posting a 61-48 victory over Sparty in the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Tournament. MSU posted a 75-57 victory in the Breslin Center. IN THE LAST MEETING, Tim Frazier and Talor Battle ran past MSU pushing the tempo and logging a pair of 20-point games to advance Penn State to its first ever Big Ten Tournament Championship game and solidify the Lions' first NCAA Tournament bid since 2001. Frazier posted then career-bests of 22 points and eight rebounds and added six assists while shooting 9-of-13 (69%). Battle posted 25 points on 6-of-11 from three as PSU broke open a 26 all halftime tie with 14-straight points from Battle, including four-straight threes, to open a 42-33 lead. The Lions led by double-digits the final 9:19. MSU shot 32% for the game, 21% in the second half, and was out-rebounded 38-32. The Spartans got 16 from Kalin Lucas and 10 from Draymond Green. IN THE LAST MEETING IN EAST LANSING, a hot MSU rolled to a 75-57 win hitting 59% from the floor and 5-of-8 from three in the first half to jump to a 41-21 halftime lead. MSU led 15-3 forcing an early PSU timeout. The Lions never got closer than nine. Kalin Lucas hit four first half threes on his way to 24 points. Green had a triple-double with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. MSU won the board battle, 38-23, and got 32 points in the paint. Battle led PSU with 19 points on 7-of-20. Frazier was scoreless in 26 minutes.
FRAZIER JOINS BATTLE & CRISPIN AS 3RD LION TO POST 400 & 150:
Tim Frazier led Penn State with 23 points and five assists in a loss at Iowa on Saturday and became just the THIRD Lion ever to eclipse 400 points and 150 assists in a season - joining Talor Battle (635 points & 189 assists in 2009) and Joe Crispin (649 points & 178 assists in 2000). Frazier enters the weekend with 438 points, 151 assists and 51 steals on the year - on pace to become the FIRST LION EVER to eclipse 500 points, 150 assists and 50 steals in the same year. Frazier stands to become the FIRST LION EVER to post a top 10 season in scoring, assists and steals in the same year. He is currently THIRD among active career assist leaders in the Big Ten with 397 (Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor leads with 422).
MARSHALL NOW A SOLID SCORER:
Jermaine Marshall has posted 13 points in his last two outings (vs. No. 19 Wisconsin and at Iowa) and has established himself as a consistent scorer, posting 13 double-digit outings and 208 points (12.2 ppg) in his last 17 games. Marshall had posted a total of two double-digit outings and 98 points (2.9 ppg) in the first 34 games of his career. Marshall has posted three 20-points games (including a career-best 22 in a win at Boston College) and made 30 threes, three times hitting a career-high three treys including Saturday in Iowa, on the year. He had six threes in 28 games last year.
CVC "BAND TOGETHER" DAY FEB. 11:
The event, which raised more than $27,000 last year for Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State, is slated for a 1:00 p.m Saturday tip vs. Nebraska on Feb. 11. It is a bringing together of survivors and their families, fans, Penn State coaches and players and cancer fighting organizations from around the Centre Region. Penn State will donate $3 from every single game ticket sold and fans can purchase $3 "Band Together" Rally Towels at the game as well as participate in a silent auction of sports memorabilia. Penn State invites all cancer survivors and their families to use up to four FREE tickets to the game by contacting Nathan Leopard (Nathan.Leopard@cancer.org, 814-234-1023) of the American Cancer Society (ACS). Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State has raised nearly $2 million in the last 16 years and now sponsors a year-round schedule of seven events to raise funds and awareness.
POINTS A PREMIUM:
Lion leading scorer Tim Frazier has never scored in East Lansing in two previous games, going a combined 0-7 from the floor. Five current Lions have played in the Breslin Center, but just three have scored - none more than Billy Oliver's five points in last year's run-away Spartan win.Cam Woodyard (3 games), Frazier (2), Oliver (1), Jermaine Marshall (1) and Sasa Borovnjak (1) have combined for a total of 14 points in eight games in East Lansing, with Woodyard (7 pts), Oliver (5) and Marshall (2) having scored.
FRAZIER HAS 12 OVER 20:
Tim Frazier has increased his Big Ten LEADING 20-point game total to 12 with 20-point outings in 3 of his last 4 games, including a team-high 21 in the Lions' loss to No. 19 Wisconsin (1/31) and team-high 23 in a loss at Iowa (2/4) in his last two. Frazier scored 17 of the Lions 23 second-half points as Penn State pulled within two vs. Wisconsin. He scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half at Iowa. Frazier's 12 games of 20+ points, SEVEN in 11 Big Ten games, have him matching Talor Battle's pace last year that saw the first-team All-Big Ten guard finish second in the Big Ten with 18 20-point games.
FRAZIER ASSISTS AT RECORD PACE:
Tim Frazier is on pace to break the Lions' single-season assist record of 189 set by Talor Battle in 38 games in 2008-09. Frazier's Big Ten leading 6.3 apg is above the PSU record season average of 6.1 set by Freddie Barnes (1992) and Tom Wilkinson (1978). At his current pace he would log more than 200 assists by season's end. Frazier has posted career-best assist totals in three games this year, posting at least 10 on each occasion, and has logged SEVEN games of 9+ assists. He had a career-best 11 assists vs YSU (11/23). Frazier's 173 assists last year rank as the fifth best season mark in PSU htory. He ranks 9th on the PSU career assist chart.
FRAZIER THEIVING AT 10-YEAR HIGH:
Tim Frazier's 51 steals are the most for a Lion in a decade, eclipsing Stanley Pringle's 49 steals posted in 2009, previously the most for a Lion in the last 10 years. He posted a CAREER-HIGH six steals at Nebraska (1/11), and has 15 games with multiple steals on the year and EIGHT with three or more. He has smashed his team-leading total of 35 posted last year and ranks second in the Big Ten posting 2.1 spg.
LAST TIME OUT:
Iowa 77, Penn State 64, Feb. 4 • Iowa City, Iowa
Penn State hit just 3 of its first 17 shots and fell behind 23-7 after the first 11 minutes of action. Penn State shot 26.7% in the first half and just 2-of-13 from three while committing 11 turnovers to trail by as many as 21 in the half and 36-19 at the break. Iowa built its lead to 26 early in the second half, before the Lions used a 17-5 rally sparked by three treys from Jermaine Marshall and two from Tim Frazier to get within 14 with 13:25 to play. Penn State would shot 53% in the second half and 8-of-16 from three to get within 11 in the closing minutes, but no closer. Frazier led PSU with 23 points and five assists. Marshall added 13, Cammeron Woodyard 11 and Nick Colella 10. Matt Gatens led Iowa with 18 as the Hawkeyes out-scored PSU 29-4 at the foul line and turned 15 Lion turnovers into 20 points.
All of Penn State's games can be heard live on the Penn State Sports Network throughout Pennsylvania with Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi calling the action. "The Penn State Basketball Show" featuring Nittany Lion coach Patrick Chambers and Steve Jones airs each Thursday live from Damon's Grill in State College. Fans are encouraged to attend the live broadcast or call in their questions for the coach at 1-800-52LIONS.
Nittany Lion Basketball single-game tickets or group tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY, visiting GoPSUsports.com or through Ticketmaster. Single-game tickets are $18 for the lower bowl and $15 for upper level tickets for adults. Youth tickets (18 and under) are $7 for the lower bowl and $5 for upper level seating, while Penn State student tickets (University Park or branch campus) are $5. Penn State also offers special basketball group ticket rates for groups of 15 fans or more. Nittany Lion group rates are $10 for adults and $5 for youth.
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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