Dec. 14, 2012
VIDEO: PREVIEW WITH ASSISTANT COACH Keith Urgo
Game Notes vs. Delaware State | Watch: BTN.com | Listen |
Penn State Basketball Show Live Thursdays from Damon's Grill
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., DEC. 14, 2012 - Penn State (5-4) continues a four-game home stand to close out the non-conference campaign Saturday when the Delaware State Hornets (5-5) come to the Bryce Jordan Center for a 2:00 p.m. tip that can be seen live on BTN.com or heard on the Penn State Sports Network.
It will be a Subway Full Court 4-Pack Game with fans able to get four tickets to the game and coupons for four drinks and four six-inch Subway sandwiches at local Subway stores.
The Nittany Lions are coming off their best offensive outing of the season as Penn State shot 50.9 percent from the floor and scored a season high 78 points an a 78-70 victory over Army last Saturday. Sophomore guard D.J. Newbill led the Lions with 19 points while sophomore forward Ross Travis posted his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-6 wing is averaging nearly a double-double (9.7 ppg & 9. 7 rpg) in six games since All-Big Ten guard Tim Frazier went down with an injury and Travis currently ranks second in the Big Ten posting 8.1 rebounds per game.
Delaware State brings a two game win streak into Saturdays game after knocking off in-state rival Delaware, 73-67, in overtime last Saturday. The 5-5 Hornets won their first three to open the season before dropping five in a row, all away from home. They fell 69-50 at Northwestern earlier this year. Sophomore guard Tahj Tate leads the team posting 15.5 ppg and is the only scorer averaging double-figures.
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 (@PSUSTRETCH) and the official Penn State men's basketball handle (@PennStateMBB) on Twitter and check GoPSUsports.com. The Nittany Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatebasketball.
PENN STATE (5-4; 0-0 Big Ten) vs. DELAWARE STATE (5-5; 1-0 MEAC)
SATURDAY, DEC. 15, 2012 @ 2:00 P.M. (ET)
BRYCE JORDAN CENTER (15,261)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.
GAME INFO
TELEVISION: BTN.com: Radio feed
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network: Local (1450 AM); Steve Jones (p-by-p) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
Sirius/XM: 93/199
LIVE STATS:
COACHES:
PENN STATE: Patrick Chambers - 17-24 (2nd at PSU); 59-52 (4th Overall)
DELAWARE ST.: Greg Jackson - 186-188 (13th Year at DSU); 349-266 (22nd Overall)
NEXT UP:
PSU continues a four-game run that will close out the non-conference season Sunday when it faces New Hampshire in a double-header tilt with the Lady Lions tipping at 1:30 vs. NJIT. PSU holds a 3-0 lead in the series with the Wildcats, posting a 70-50 victory in the last meeting in 2008. All of the games in the series have been held in University Park.
THE GAME:
Penn State will look to post back-to-back wins for the first time on the season when it faces Delaware State Saturday in the BJC. The Lions lead the series 2-0 and won the last meeting, 64-53, in 1993 in the Low Country Classic in Charleston, S.C. The teams also played a neutral site game in 1990 at the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tucson, Ariz. Penn State will close out the non-conference season with three weekend games in the span of 21 days at home after starting the season with nine games in 30 days, with four away from the BJC.
TRAVIS GETS AGGRESSIVE:
Ross Travis has asserted himself offensively in the Lions' last two games posting back-to-back double-digit scoring outings for the first time in his career with 12 points at La Salle and 14 vs. Army, one shy of his career high. Travis scored eight of the Lions first 14 points at La Salle, as he started 3-of-4 from the floor, and seven of Penn State's first nine in a 3-for-3 start vs. Army. He posted a career high in field goals (6) at La Salle and career highs in field goal attempts (11) in both games while shooting 11-of-22 (50%) combined. Travis logged his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 boards vs. Army and is averaging nearly a double-double (9.7 ppg & 9.7 rpg) in six games since Tim Frazier went down with injury.
SCOUTING DELAWARE STATE:
The Hornets bring a two-game win streak into Saturday after downing in-state rival Delaware, 73-67, in overtime last Saturday. The 5-5 Hornets won their first three to open the season before dropping five in a row, all away from home. They fell 69-50 at Northwestern earlier this year. They have scored more than 70 points in each of their five wins, two of those coming in overtime, and were held to 62 or less in their five losses. The Hornets are shooting 42 percent from the floor and 29 percent from three, making six threes per game. Sophomore guard Tahj Tate leads the team posting 15.5 ppg and is the only scorer averaging double-figures. Three Hornets have 12 or more threes, but just one, Tyshawn Bell, shoots better than 27 percent from the arc. Bell leads the team shooting 17-37 (.459) from three. The Hornets have gotten to the foul line 190 times compared to 154 for opponents and average 12.3 made free throws per game. Center Kendall Gray (6-10) has 35 blocks.
NOTES TO KNOW:
• Penn State shot a season best 50.9% and scored a season high 78 points in its win over Army. The Lions also had season highs in assists (13), threes (7) and rebounds (41) and their 29 made field goals marked the most in two seasons under coach Patrick Chambers.
• Penn State shot 61% and had five Lions score through the opening 10 minutes vs. Army on its way to building a 15-point lead, PSU's largest of the season.
• Jermaine Marshall (6th, 15.1 ppg) and D.J. Newbill (7th, 14. 9 ppg) are one of two sets teammates to rank in the Top 10 in scoring the Big Ten. They form the second highest scoring backcourt in the Big Ten posting 30 ppg, behind only Michigan's Trey Burke (3rd, 17.1) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (8th, 14.8), 31.9 ppg.
• Ross Travis posted his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Army, one-point shy of a career high. He led Penn State in rebounding for the seventh time on the year and the sixth straight game. He is averaging 9.7 ppg and 9.7 rpg over the last six games and IS SECOND IN THE BIG TEN in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and is fourth in offensive rebounding (3.0).
• D.J. Newbill led the Lions in scoring for the second time this season posting 19, 14 in the second half, in the win vs. Army.
• Jermaine Marshall posted a career high tying four steals vs. Army and now ranks 3rd in the Big Ten posting 2.2 steals per game.
• D.J. Newbill leads the Big Ten playing 35.6 minutes per game. He has scored in double-digits in 8-of-9 games on the year and is scoring 16 ppg since taking over point guard duties for Tim Frazier, scoring in double figures in all six games.
• Newbill, a natural off-guard, has taken over the bulk of point guard duties in the absence of Tim Frazier. Jermaine Marshall has also seen time at the point and the Lions have turned to Ross Travis to bring the ball up the court on occasion.
• Freshman Brandon Taylor made his first start in the win vs. Bucknell. He posted double-digit scoring in four of his last six games, including 14 in the victory over Army. Taylor leads PSU shooting 40% (12-30) from three and 47.9% from the floor on the year. His 12 threes are second only to Jermaine Marshall's 16.
• Penn State has allowed five opponents to eclipse 70 points on the year, winning one of those games and having all four losses on the year come to opponents scoring 70+. Penn State is 2-17 under Patrick Chambers and 11-50 over the last six years when opponents break 70 points.
MARSHALL EMERGES:
Junior Jermaine Marshall led Penn State in scoring in four straight games following the injury to Tim Frazier and emerged as Penn State's leading scorer posting 15.1 ppg. He is averaging 19.0 ppg and shooting 50% from the floor, 43% from three and 30-of-39 (77%) from the foul line over the last five games. He eclipsed 500 career points in the win over Penn and is the Lions' leading active career scorer with 542.
TAYLOR LEADING TEAM IN SHOOTING:
Freshman Brandon Taylor has proven to be an efficient offensive performer early in his career. He led Penn State shooting 58.3 percent (7-12) to average 5.3 ppg in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off and is now leading the team shooting 47.9 percent on the year and 40.0 percent (12-30) from three. He posted back-to-back double-digit outings vs. Akron and Bucknell (hitting 62.5 percent (6-12 from three) while averaging 13.0 ppg) before running into foul trouble and having his minutes limited in a three-point outing vs. Boston College. Taylor's 14 points vs. Army gave him four double-digit scoring outings on the year. He is posting 9.4 ppg over his last five games.
NEWBILL ON POINT:
D.J. Newbill, a natural off-guard, has taken over point guard duties since the injury to Tim Frazier in the fourth game of the season. He is logging big minutes at the position playing 35.6 per game to lead the Big Ten. Working through growing pains at the position, he has posted six-straight double-digit scoring games (including two 20-point outings) since taking over and is averaging 16.0 ppg and 4.8 apg since moving to the point. The bulk of his turnovers have come in the first half as he adjusts to running the offense. He had six in the first half vs. B.C. and none in the second. On the year he has 26 first half turnovers and just seven second half.
LAST TIME OUT: PENN STATE 78, ARMY 70, Dec. 8, 2012 • Bryce Jordan Center
Penn State shot 56 percent in the first half to build a 40-28 halftime lead and then held off an Army charge that got the Black Knights within two mid-way through the second half. The Lions posted season highs shooting 50.9% and scoring 78 points while winning the rebounding battle 41-27. Four Lions scored in double-digits lead by 19 points from D.J. Newbill and 16 from Jermaine Marshall. Ross Travis posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Army used a press to cut a 48-38 Lion lead to 52-50 with 12:00 to play. PSU responded with a Nick Colella three and after battling back and forth mounted a 10-0 run fueled by Newbill and Brandon Taylor (14 points on the night) to build a 68-54 lead with 5:32 to play. Army, which was led by 23 points from Ella Ellis, got no closer than eight the rest of the way after shooting 38.9%.
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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