Dec. 4, 2012
VIDEO: Chambers, Lions Returning to Philly
VIDEO: Tim Frazier Interview - December 4
Game Notes at La Salle | NBC Sports Network Channel Finder | Listen |
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., Dec. 4, 2012 - Penn State coach Patrick Chambers, sophomore guard D.J. Newbill and several members of the Nittany Lion program will return home Wednesday when Penn State (4-3) takes on La Salle (4-1) in a 9:00 p.m. tip at The Palestra in Philadelphia. The game will be televised live by the NBC Sports Network (State College Listings: DirectTV Ch: 220; Comcast Ch: 269/848; Windstream: 176/757;Dish 159) and can be heard live on the Penn State Sports Network.
The Penn State Hoops Club and the Penn State Alumni Association are sponsoring a gathering of Penn State fans at Baby Blues BBQ (www.babybluesbbq.com) in Philadelphia prior to the game.
Penn State coach Patrick Chambers grew up in Philadelphia, played at Philadelphia University and watched his brother, Paul, star for Penn in the Palestra as a three-year starting point-guard for the Quakers. Newbill was the 2010 Class AA Player of the Year at Philadelphia's Strawberry Mansion High School, while freshman Brandon Taylor grew up just north of Philadelphia and played his AAU ball on "Team Philly."
Penn State is coming off a 58-47 victory over Penn on Saturday and will be facing its second straight Big 5 program. Jermaine Marshall led the Lions in scoring for the third straight game with 18 points in the victory over Penn. Newbill added 13 points and four steals and has scored in double-digits in six of seven games on the year.
Marshall played high school basketball at Red Land with La Salle center Steve Zack. La Salle junior guard Taylor Dunn is the son of former Nittany Lion head coach Jerry Dunn and the brother-in-law of former Nittany Lion great Titus Ivory.
La Salle brings a three-game win streak into Wednesday's game. The Explorers are led by junior guard Tyreek Duren who is posting 16.4 ppg and logged 20 in his last outing, a La Salle victory over Rider, 63-52.
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 (4-3; 0-0 Big Ten) vs. LA SALLE (4-1; 0-0 A-10)
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5, 2012 @ 9:00 P.M. (ET)
THE PALESTRA (8,722)
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
GAME INFO
TELEVISION: NBC Sports Network: Dave Strader (p-by-p) & Stan Van Gundy (analyst)
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network: Local (1450 AM); Steve Jones (p-by-p) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
LIVE STATS:
COACHES:
PENN STATE: Patrick Chambers - 16-23 (2nd at PSU); 58-51 (4th Overall)
LA SALLE: Dr. John Giannini - 123-129 (9th at La Salle); 420-278 (24th Overall)
NEXT UP:
PSU will return to the Jordan Center for a four-game run that will close out the non-conference season. The string begins with a Saturday match-up with Army. It will be the 41st meeting with the Cadets with PSU holding a 23-17 series lead. It will be the first meeting since a 60-45 PSU victory at the BJC in 2008. PSU has won three straight in the series.
THE GAME:
Penn State will play the second of back-to-back games vs. Philadelphia schools when it travels to The Palestra to face La Salle. La Salle owns a 2-1 lead in the series, including a victory in the 1954 NCAA Final Four in Kansas City. Penn State won the last meeting, 59-58, at the AMI Classic in Miami in 1986 with PSU guard Brian Allen earning tournament MVP honors. This will be the first meeting in 26 years. Penn State is 66-109 vs. Philadelphia's Big 5, having just downed Penn. The Lions will return to The Palestra next year when they return the game with Penn.
NOT LONG, BUT STORIED HISTORY:
Penn State and La Salle have met just three times, but in two of those meetings (both Explorers wins) La Salle was ranked No. 2 in the nation. The Explorers, led by eventual tournament MVP Tom Gola, ended Penn State's deepest ever NCAA Tournament run knocking off the Lions, 69-54, in the 1954 NCAA Final Four in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium. Penn State All-American Jesse Arnelle had 18 points in that game, but Gola posted 19 as La Salle went on to defeat Bradley, 92-76, in the championship game and PSU, led by coach Elmer Gross, finished third with a victory over USC. The Explorers were also ranked No. 2 when they downed a Lion team led by Tom Daley, 70-55, in the 1968 Quaker City Classic in Philadelphia.
SCOUTING LA SALLE:
The Explorers bring a three-game win streak into Wednesday after downing Rider, 63-52, behind 20 points from junior guard Tyreek Duren and 17 from senior guard Ramon Galloway. They lead the team posting 16.4 and 15.6 ppg on the year. Galloway is the leading three-point shooter with 14, while 6-8, sophomore Jerrell Wright leads the team with 7.2 rpg and adds 12.4 ppg. La Salle is 4-1 on the year and its three-game win streak includes victories at Hartford (64-51) and vs. Villanova (77-74). The Explorers are scoring 70.2 ppg, get 7.0 steals per game and are averaging 15.6 made free throws per contest led by Duren who is 30-of-38 at the line. La Salle posted a 21-13 mark last year and went 9-7 to finish sixth in the A-10.
PHILLY TIES:
Sophomore guard D.J. Newbill was the 2010 PIAA Class AA Player of the Year and Philadelphia Public League Player of the Year at Strawberry Mansion high school helping lead his team to the state championship game two times in three years. Freshman Brando Taylor played his AAU ball with "Team Philly." Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers and associate head coach Eugene Burroughs both played at Philadelphia's Episcopal Academy under legendary Philadelphia coach Dan Dougherty. Chambers was born and raised in the Newtown Square suburb of Philadelphia and later graduated from Philadelphia University in 1994, leaving as the school's all-time leader in assists after playing four seasons under Hall of Fame Coach Herb Magee and helping lead Pilly U to four NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearances and two Elite Eights. Chambers was also on Jay Wright's staff at Villanova for five years, helping lead the Wildcats to the 2009 NCAA Final Four as associate head coach. Chambers was a successful salesman and part owner of the family printing business in Philadelphia before getting back into coaching as an assistant to Dougherty at Episcopal (1999-2004) before moving on to Villanova as Director of Operations. Penn State assistant coach Brian Daly was the 1988 Philadelphia Player of the Year at Monsignor Bonner (Philadelphia) and is the school's all-time leading scorer and member of its hall of fame. He went on to be a four-year letterman at St. Joe's (1988-92) helping lead the Hawks to two Big 5 Championships, and later was the head coach at Monsignor Bonner (1996-2002).
PALESTRA TIES:
Two of coach Patrick Chambers' eight brothers were standouts athletically for the University of Pennsylvania. Patrick is the youngest of 12 children. The second youngest and closest to him in age, Paul, was a three-year starting point guard on Penn teams from 1989-92 and graduated fifth on the Quakers career assists chart with 396, logging many of those while his brother watched at The Palestra. Another older brother, Tim, was the 1984 Ivy League Player of the Year as a defensive back on a Penn football teams that won three-consecutive Ivy League titles. Assistant coach Brian Daly won a Philadelphia Catholic League Title and two Big 5 Championships on the Palestra floor as well as playing more than 20 college games on the floor with Saint Joe's.
PENN STATE-LA SALLE CONNECTIONS:
Junior guard Jermaine Marshall and Explorers sophomore center Steve Zack where high school teammates at Red Land and also played AAU ball together. Explorers junior guard Taylor Dunn is the son of former Nittany Lion head coach Jerry Dunn (1996-2003) and the brother-in-law of former Nittany Lion great Titus Ivory (1997-2001) who ranks 10th on Penn State's all-time scoring chart.
WE CAN RELATE:
Penn State coach Patrick Chambers can relate to star guard Tim Frazier's recent injury, in fact Frazier is using the exact same motorized scooter Chambers used this summer after he underwent arthroplastic surgery to repair the knee joint on his left leg and was limited to riding the scooter and non-weight bearing crutches for six weeks and the use of crutches for two months. Chambers has said the insertion of a wedge and six screws to re-align his knee joint was one of the toughest things he's had to deal with and will use the recent experience to help guide Frazier through his rehabilitation. Frazier's sister, Krystal, also suffered a ruptured Achilles, during a standout basketball career at Rice that saw her earn All-Conference USA honors.
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 35.0 per game (4th in the Big Ten). Working through growing pains at the position, he has posted four-straight double-digit scoring games (including two 20-point outings) since taking over and is averaging 16.2 ppg and 3.8 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 21 first half turnovers and just six second half.
NOTES TO KNOW:
• Ross Travis led Penn State in rebounding for the fifth time on the year and the fourth straight game with 8 vs. Penn. He now LEADS THE BIG TEN in total (7.7 rpg) and offensive rebounding (3.4).
• Jermaine Marshall led the Lions in scoring for the third straight game with 18 vs. Penn. He posted 21.5 ppg, shot 52% from the floor and 83% at the foul line in two games last week.
• Marshall ranks 4th in the Big Ten posting 2.0 steals per game.
• D.J. Newbill posted a career high four steals vs. Penn to go with 13 points. He has scored in double-digits in 6-of-7 games on the year. Newbill ranks 10th in the Big Ten posting 14.7 ppg, while Jermaine Marshall is 12th with 14.4.
• Newbill, a natural off-guard, has taken over point guard duties in the absence of Tim Frazier, playing the bulk of time at the position the last three games. He stands third in the Big Ten playing 35.7 minutes per game.
• Freshman Brandon Taylor made his first start in the win vs. Bucknell. He posted double-digit scoring in three of his last four games shooting 47% (9-19) from three in that span. Taylor leads PSU shooting 40.9% (9-22) from three and 50% from the floor on the year.
LAST TIME OUT: PENN STATE 58, PENN 47, Dec. 1, 2012 • Bryce Jordan Center
Penn State shot 5-of-7 from three in the first half, paced by 11 points on 3-of-4 from the arc from freshman Brandon Taylor, to take a 31-22 halftime lead over Penn. A pair of break-away dunks from D.J. Newbill pushed the lead to 13 to open the second half and Penn State held on as Penn used an 8-2 run to close the margin to four, 43-39, with 7:22 to play. Jermaine Marshall responded with a layup and a pair of assists to Jon Graham who finished on the block to rebuild a 10-point lead. The LIons hit 7-of-9 at the line to ice the game in the closing minutes. Marshall led all scorers with 18 points, going 9-of-10 at the line, while playing 39 minutes while Newbill added 13 and four steals and Taylor 11. Penn was led by 10 points from Tony Hicks, as Graham's defense helped limit leading scorer Fran Dougherty (18.6) to seven points. The Lions held a 17-6 scoring edge at the foul line and 13-3 on second chance baskets.
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-