Nov. 28, 2012
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.; NOV. 28, 2012 - Despite a late 18-1 run that cut Boston College's 20-point second half lead to only three with 3:08 to play, the Nittany Lions (3-3) were unable to take the lead and suffered a 73-61 loss to Boston College (3-4) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Redshirt junior Jermaine Marshall (Etters, Pa.) led Penn State with 25 points going 8-for-13 from the field. Redshirt sophomore D.J. Newbill (Philadelphia, Pa.) was second on the team with a career-high 22 points hitting 6-of-13 from the field and 8-of-11 at the foul line. Sophomore Ross Travis (Chaska, Minn.) had a game-high and career-best 13 rebounds, including 10 defensive boards.
"I was disappointed with the first twenty minutes, and the last five minutes showed me something," Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. "They have heart and they won't give up and we take pride in wearing that jersey. That's what I'm going to take from this game. It wasn't pretty, D.J. and Jermaine, they need help, they can't do all of it. But we need to definitely pay harder."
Olivier Hanlan led Boston College with 22 points on 15-of-19 at the foul line. Joe Rahon added 14 on 3-of-5 from three as B.C. held a 27-17 scoring advantage at the foul line and 15-3 on second chance points. The Eagles won the rebounding battle, 38-33, and the B.C. bench outscored Penn State's 20-3 as the Lions shot 35 percent to B.C.'s 42 percent.
After a scoreless two and half minutes to start the game, Marshall put Penn State on the board with a jumper at the 17:30 mark. Boston College responded with a 10-0 run to take an eight-point lead, 10-2. Newbill moved Penn State within one, 10-9, scoring seven straight points on a pair of layups and a three.
With a little more than 10 minutes on the clock, the Eagles took off on a 10-3 run for an eight-point advantage, 20-12. Nick Colella hit a three for Penn State during the run. Travis ended the run with a basket and then went 1-for-2 at the foul line to bring Penn State within five, 20-15. Two free throws by the Eagles and a three-pointer put Boston College's lead into double-digits, 25-15, with 4:02 remaining in the half.
Marshall tallied two points to start a 6-2 Penn State run bringing the Nittany Lions within six, 27-21, with just over a minute left in the first half. Olivier Hanlan went 1-for-2 at the foul line before Andrew Van Nest hit a trifecta for a 31-21 Boston College lead with nine seconds remaining before the half. Penn State drove down the court with Marshall handing the ball off to Newbill, who nailed a three-pointer just as time ran out moving the Lions within seven, 31-24, at the break
The Nittany Lions cut the gap to five, 36-31, with a three-pointer from Marshall early in the second half. Boston College worked back to a double-digit lead, 45-33, after a 9-2 run, including back-to-back threes. Two free throws by Newbill had the Lions within 10, 45-35, with 12:24 on the clock.
Boston College's lead grew to 20, 59-39, with 5:22 remaining in the game as the Lions went more than 11 minutes without a field goal. Marshall sank a three-pointer at the 5:14 mark to end that drought and start a 14-0 run that cut the Eagle lead to six, 59-53, in just 90 seconds. Nine of the 14 points in the run came from Marshall as Penn State extended a press and forced three quick B.C. turnovers.
After a free throw from Hanlan cut the B.C. drought, another trey from Marshall and a Newbill foul shot had Penn State within three, 60-57, and the run at 18-1 with 3:08 to play. It was the closest the Nittany Lions would come for the remainder of the game.
The Eagles stretched their lead back to seven, 68-61, with 1:19 to play after a pair of free throws from Joe Rahon. Boston College ran out the clock making 6-of-8 free throws producing the final score of 73-61.
Penn State remains at home hosting Penn on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. After a trip to La Salle on Dec. 5, the Nittany Lions return home for four straight games beginning with Army on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 4 p.m.
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GAME NOTES
• Penn State now holds a 5-7 record in 12 ACC/Big Ten Challenge appearances. The Nittany Lions have won four of their last six Challenge games.
• The ACC/Big Ten Challenge finished tied at 6-6. The Big Ten maintains possession of the Commissioners Cup having won the 2011 Challenge. • Penn State and Boston College met for the second straight season in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Boston College now leads the series 7-6. The Eagles have won five of the last seven meetings between the two teams.
• Redshirt Junior Sasa Borovnjak had a career-high two blocks against the Eagles.
• Redshirt sophomore D.J. Newbill was 6-of-13 from the floor and went 8-for-11 at the foul line to post a career-high 22 points, which ranked second on the team.
• Sophomore Ross Travis led the team in rebounds with a career-high 13, besting his previous personal best by three.
• Redshirt junior Jermaine Marshall led the team with 25 points after hitting 8-of-13 from the floor and going 6-for-8 at the free throw line.
• Two Nittany Lions recorded more than 20 points with Marshall posting a team-high 25 and Newbill posting 22. This marks the first time two players have scored more than 20 points since Cammeron Woodyard and Tim Frazier vs. Minnesota on Jan. 15, 2012.
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