Nov. 2, 2012
Game Notes | Watch |
Feature: Nittany Lions Set to Open Exhibition Season
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.; NOV. 2, 2012 - Penn State will welcome head coach Patrick Chambers' alma mater Philadelphia University to the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday as the Nittany Lions see their first action of the year in an exhibition contest with the Rams. The game can be viewed live on BTN.com.
The Nittany Lions will tip off at 4:00 p.m. The game is part of a double-header with the Lady Lions taking on California (Pa.) at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for both contests are $5 and seating is general admission. Penn State students are admitted free.
Penn State coaches and support staff will wear sweats in honor of legendary Philadelphia U coach Herb Magee who is the all-time leader in NCAA wins with 941 and was inducted in 2011 into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Chambers played four seasons under Magee at the NCAA Division II university, starting as a walk-on in 1990 before becoming the team's starting point-guard and earning first-team All-ECAC honors. Chambers left as the school's all-time career assists record holder (709) and helped lead the Rams to four NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearances and two Elite Eight appearances.
Penn State and Philadelphia have met four times previously on the basketball court with Penn State holding a 4-0 series lead. The teams last met in 1984 with the Lions taking a 92-77 victory.
PENN STATE (0-0; Big Ten) vs. PHILADELPHIA U (0-0; CACC)
SATURDAY, NOV. 3, 2012 @ 4:00 P.M. (ET)
BRYCE JORDAN CENTER (15,261)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.
GAME INFO
TELEVISION: BTN.com: Jeff Lowe (p-by-p), Justin Rocke (analyst), Sophia Perri (sideline)
RADIO: none
LIVE STATS:
COACHES:
PENN STATE: Patrick Chambers - 12-20 (2nd at PSU); 54-48 (4th Overall)
PHILLY U: Herb Magee - 941-375 (46th at Philly U); same overall
NEXT UP:
Penn State will open its 117th season of men's basketball on Friday, Nov. 9 vs. Saint Francis. It will be the first meeting between the schools since 2007. Penn State owns an 8-2 lead in the series and has won the last four meetings. Saint Francis' last win came in overtime, 68-63, in 1978 in State College. Penn State has won its last seven season openers, dating to 2005, and is 86-30 overall in season openers and 76-10 in home season openers.
117 YEARS OF HOOPS:
Penn State will embark on its 117th season of playing basketball in the 2012-13 campaign, having begun play in 1897 with a pair of contests vs. Bucknell, which returns to the schedule this year for the first time since 2006. Penn State has made 12 post-season appearances in the last 24 years (4 NCAA, 8 NIT) and a total of 19 (9 NCAA, 10 NIT) overall. Since 2009, Penn State has won the program's first national tournament title (2009 NIT), made the program's first appearance in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game (2011) and played in the NCAA Tournament (2011).
THE GAME:
Penn State will see its first action of the season with an exhibition contest vs. coach Patrick Chambers' alma mater, Philadelphia University. Chambers graduated from the University in 1994 with a degree in marketing and a minor in finance. He played four season at the NCAA Division II university, starting as a walk-on in 1990 before becoming the team's starting point-guard and earning first-team All-ECAC honors. Chambers left as the school's all-time career assists record holder (709) and helped lead the Rams to four NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearances and two Elite Eight appearances. Chambers played for current Philadelphia head coach Herb Magee, at what was then Philadelphia Textil. Magee is in his 46th season leading the Rams. The all-time winningest coach in NCAA history with 941 victories, Magee was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. Penn State and Philadelphia have met four times previously on the basketball court with Penn State holding a 4-0 series lead. The teams last met in 1984 with the Lions taking a 92-77 victory.
EXHIBITION ACTION:
Penn State posted a 64-47 victory in exhibition action last year vs. Slippery Rock. Tim Frazier led the way with 19 points, while Billy Oliver had 16. Sasa Borovnjak (6), Nick Colella (4) and Ross Travis (4) were the only other returners other than Frazier that scored in that game.
FRAZIER PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN:
Senior guard Tim Frazier was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team by conference media voters. Frazier, the lone returning first-team All-Big Ten selection from last year, was joined on the preseason team by Ohio State's Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas, Michigan's Trey Burke and Indiana's Cody Zeller who was also named the preseason Player of the Year.
FRAZIER SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE:
Tim Frazier was one of 30 Division I men's basketball players selected as candidates for the 2012-13 Senior CLASS Award presented to a senior student-athlete with notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. The award will be trimmed to 10 finalists midway through the season with the winner announced at the 2013 NCAA Final Four in Atlanta.
LIONS TO HONOR MAGEE:
Penn State's coaching and support staff will all wear sweats for Saturday's exhibition game in homage to legendary Philadelphia U coach Herb Magee and his preferred mode of dress for games.
SCOUTING THE RAMS:
Philadelphia U posted a 19-10 record last year, 13-4 in the CACC, and averaged 69.3 ppg. They were led in scoring by guard Jim Connolly (16.8 ppg) who is the team's captain in his senior season. The Rams fell at James Madison (77-69) in exhibition action on Sunday. Connolly led the Rams with 19 points in that game. Sophomore guard Nick Schlitzer, who averaged 14.0 ppg in his freshman campaign, and junior guard Nick Christian, 9.4 ppg last year, also return. Schlitzer had 15 points vs. JMU. The Rams graduated two of their top four leading scorers. Connolly is the team's top returning three-point shooter hitting 38.6 percent from the arc and 3.3 threes per game last year. Schlitzer shot 45 percent from three and made 2.3 threes per game last year. Penn State transfer forward Peter Alexis is a freshman in eligibility at Philadelphia U and posted 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the exhibition game at JMU.
ALEXIS RETURNS TO BJC:
Philadelphia U forward Peter Alexis spent his first collegiate season at Penn State in 2011-12 and transferred to Philadelphia at the end of the 2012 spring semester. The 6-10, 255-pound forward did not see action at Penn State and is a freshman in eligibility at Philadelphia.
FRAZIER EYES 1,000 POINTS/ASSIST RECORD:
Tim Frazier enters his senior campaign with 970 points, needing just 30 to become the 30th 1,000-point scorer in Penn State history. He is on pace to finish his career among the top five Nittany Lion history in scoring, assists and steals. He needs 157 assists to eclipse the career record of 600 set by Freddie Barnes in 1992.
Single game tickets for men's basketball are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting GoPSUsports.com/tickets or Ticketmaster. Single-game tickets for Nittany Lion games are $24 for lower bowl seats between the baselines, $18 for the lower bowl behind the baskets and upper level between the baselines and $15 for upper level behind the basket seats for adults and seniors. Youth tickets (18 and under) are $10, while Penn State student tickets (University Park or branch campus) are $5.
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-