Dec. 7, 2012
MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY
TOYS FOR TOTS DAY
PENN STATE FOOTBALL HONORED/AUTOGRAPHS
Game Notes vs. ARMY | Listen |
Penn State Basketball Show Live Thursdays from Damon's Grill
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., DEC. 7, 2012 - Penn State (4-4) will begin a four-game home stand to close out the non-conference campaign on Saturday when Army (4-3) comes to the Bryce Jordan Center for a 4:00 p.m. tip that will be televised live by the Big Ten Network.
The Penn State football team's outstanding senior class, Big Ten award winners and Big Ten Coach-of-the-Year Bill O'Brien will be honored at halftime of the contest. The players and coach will be available prior to the game for fan autographs on the BJC concourse starting at 2:45 p.m. It will also be Military Appreciation day at the BJC with any United States service member who presents a valid military ID able to receive four free tickets. Additional tickets are priced at $5 each. Fans will also receive a camouflage drawstring bag while supplies last. The ROTC Trick Group will perform at halftime.
Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers is the co-honorary chairman of the 2012 Toys For Tots campaign and Penn State will be collecting toys Saturday. Any adult who donates a new, unwrapped toy will receive admission to the game for $10. Youth and Students who donate a toy receive free admission. Student Season Ticket Holders and Adult Season Ticket Holders will receive coupons for free drinks when they donate a new unwrapped toy.
Penn State returns to the Jordan Center where it is 3-1 on the season with wins over Bucknell and Penn in its last three games. Junior Jermaine Marshall has led the team in scoring in the last four games and currently ranks seventh in the Big Ten posting 15.0 ppg. Sophomore Ross Travis played his best offensive game of the season posting 12 points at La Salle on Wednesday and continues to lead the Big Ten in rebounding posting 7.9 rpg and having led the Lions on the boards in each of the last five games.
Penn State and Army will be meeting for the 41st time with Penn State holding a 23-17 series lead. It will be the first meeting in the series since a 60-45 Penn State victory at the Jordan Center in 2008. Penn State has won three straight in the series.
The Black Knights bring a 4-3 record into Saturday after downing Marist, 91-57, in West Point on Tuesday behind 15-of-30 shooting from the three-point stripe. Senior 6-7 forward Ella Ellis led the way hitting 6-of-9 from three for a game-high 23 points and adding eight boards in just 25 minutes. Ellis leads the Knights posting 19.7 ppg and with 20 threes while shooting 40 percent from the arc.
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 (4-4; 0-0 Big Ten) vs. ARMY (4-3; 0-0 Patriot)
SATURDAY, DEC. 8, 2012 @ 4:00 P.M. (ET)
BRYCE JORDAN CENTER (15,261)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.
GAME INFO
TELEVISION: BTN: Wayne Larrivee (p-by-p) & Sean Harrington (analyst)
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network: Local (1450 AM); Steve Jones (p-by-p) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
Sirius/XM: 94/198
LIVE STATS:
COACHES:
PENN STATE: Patrick Chambers - 16-24 (2nd at PSU); 58-52 (4th Overall)
ARMY: Zach Spiker - 41-55 (4th at Army); Same Overall
NEXT UP: PSU continues a four-game run that will close out the non-conference season next Saturday when it faces Delaware State. 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 nuetral site game in 1990 at the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tucson, Ariz.
THE GAME:
Penn State will return to the Jordan Center for a four-game run of weekend games 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 Black Knights with Penn State holding a 23-17 series lead. It will be the first meeting in the series since a 60-45 Penn State victory at the Jordan Center in 2008. Penn State has won three straight in the series. The teams first met in 1907 with Penn State falling 32-16 at the Armory in State College.
FOOTBALL TEAM HONORED:
The Penn State football team's outstanding 2012 senior class, Big Ten award winners and Big Ten Coach of the Year Bill O'Brien will be honored at halftime of Saturday's game and will be available to sign autographs on the Jordan Center concourse prior to tip-off beginning at 2:45 p.m.
MARSHALL EMERGES:
Junior Jermaine Marshall has led Penn State in scoring in each of the last four games and emerged as Penn State's leading scorer since the injury to Tim Frazier. He is averaging 19.7 ppg and shooting 48% from the floor and 27-of-35 (77%) from the foul line over the four game span. He stands 7th in the Big Ten in scoring posting 15.0 ppg. He eclipsed 500 career points in the win over Penn and is the Lions' leading active career scorer with 526.
TRAVIS GETS AGGRESSIVE:
Ross Travis asserted himself early in the Lions' loss at La Salle and went on to post his best offensive outing since a career-high 15 points vs. Michigan last year. Travis scored eight of the Lions first 14 points as he started 3-of-4 from the floor. He went on to post a season-high 12 points, posting career highs in field goals (6) and field goal attempts (11), while adding nine points in a career most 40 minutes.
SCOUTING ARMY:
The Black Knights bring a 4-3 record into Saturday after downing Marist, 91-57, in West Point on Tuesday behind 15-of-30 shooting from the three-point stripe. Senior 6-7 forward Ella Ellis led the way hitting 6-of-9 from three for a game-high 23 points and adding eight boards in just 25 minutes. Freshman guard Kyle Toth also hit 6-of-9 from three for 20 points. Ellis leads the Knights posting 19.7 ppg and with 20 threes while shooting 40% from the arc. Freshman guard Kyle Wilson adds 11.7 ppg for an Army team that posts 75.7 ppg, 25 of those coming from behind the arc on 60 threes on the year. The Knights grab 40 rebounds per game, but give up 71.1 ppg and turn the ball over 15.1 times per game.
NOTES TO KNOW:
• Penn State shot 56.5% in the first half, 3-of-6 from three, at La Salle and went on to post a season best 44% shooting on the game - the Lions' first time bettering 40% shooting on the year.
• Ross Travis led Penn State in rebounding for the sixth time on the year and the fifth straight game nearly posting his second double-double of the year with 12 points and nine rebounds playing a career most 40 minutes vs. La Salle. He LEADS THE BIG TEN in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and is second in offensive rebounding (3.3).
• Jermaine Marshall led the Lions in scoring for the fourth straight game with 19 at La Salle.
• Marshall ranks 4th in the Big Ten posting 2.0 steals per game.
• D.J. Newbill posted 12 points, six rebounds and five assists while playing all 40 minutes at La Salle. He has scored in double-digits in 7-of-8 games on the year. Newbill ranks 11th in the Big Ten posting 14.4 ppg and is scoring 15.4 ppg since taking over point guard duties for Tim Frazier.
• 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 leads the Big Ten playing 35.6 minutes per game, including all 40 minutes at La Salle.
• Sasa Borovnjak posted his best game of the season to date logging eight points (all in the first half) and a career high eight rebounds at La Salle. Both marked season highs and his best combined point and rebound outing since posting 10 points and five rebounds vs. Mt. St. Mary's last year.
• Freshman Donovon Jack scored his first career points late in the game at La Salle.
• La Salle shot 16-of-31 from three, out-scoring the Lions 48-9 at the three-point line. La Salle tied an opponent best under Patrick Chambers knocking down 16 threes. They became the sixth team to out-score Penn State from three on the year. The Lions trail opponents 38-62 (9 ppg) in made threes on the year.
• La Salle scored 82 points becoming the 4th opponent to top 70 on the year, Penn State has lost all four games. The Lions are 1-17 under Patrick Chambers when allowing an opponent to top 70 points.
• Freshman Brandon Taylor made his first start in the win vs. Bucknell. He posted double-digit scoring in three of his last five games. Taylor leads PSU shooting 38.5% (10-26) from three and 47.4% from the floor on the year.
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 35.6 per game to lead the Big Ten. Working through growing pains at the position, he has posted five-straight double-digit scoring games (including two 20-point outings) since taking over and is averaging 15.4 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 22 first half turnovers and just seven second half.
LAST TIME OUT: LA SALLE 82, PENN STATE 57, Dec. 5, 2012 • The Palestra, Philadelphia
La Salle hit 16-of-31 (51%) from three to blow open what was a close game through 26 minutes and claim a run-away 82-57 victory. Penn State shot 56 percent from the floor and 3-of-6 from three in the first half to trail by just four, 38-34, at the break, but suffered through prolonged scoring droughts and shot just 33 percent in the second half and 0-of-6 from three as La Salle used a 25-5 run six minutes into the half to blow open a 20-point lead. Jermaine Marshall led the Lions with 19 points and Ross Travis had 12 points and nine rebounds. Tyreek Duren led La Salle with a career high 29 points on 4-of-7 from three, part of a 48-9 Explorer scoring advantage from the arc. PSU trailed just 47-43 with 14:12 to play, but went scoreless for the next five minutes as La Salle took a 57-43 lead with 9:26 to play following a Duren three. La Salle pushed the lead over 20, 68-46, two minutes later following an 11-1 run capped by a D.J Peterson three.
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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