Jan. 6, 2013
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., JAN. 6, 2013 - Penn State (8-5; 0-1 Big Ten) will bring a five-game home winning streak into its Big Ten home opener Monday when No. 5 Indiana (13-1; 1-0 Big Ten) comes to the Bryce Jordan Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip on the Big Ten Network.
The teams played a thrilling game last season with Indiana holding on for an 88-82 victory behind the strength of 16 threes. The Lions were within two of the Hoosiers with 30 seconds remaining in the game.
Monday will be "Dollar Dog Night" at the Jordan Center and fans will also receive reversible Penn State Basketball Pinnies at the door while supplies last. The Penn State women's soccer team, which reached the NCAA Championship final for the first time in program history in the fall, will be honored at halftime.
Penn State shot 53 percent in the second half and 46 percent for the game in a 60-51 loss at Wisconsin in its Big Ten opener. Jermaine Marshall (Etters, Pa.) led the Lions with 19 points in that game and his jumper brought the Lions within a point of the Badgers with 2:52 remaining. The 6-4, junior guard leads the Lions with 23 threes and 26 steals on the year and has led the team in scoring in six games. Marshall posted 20 points against the Hoosiers in the BJC last year.
Marshall's backcourt mate, sophomore D.J. Newbill (Philadelphia, Pa.), is the only Big Ten player to rank in the top 15 in scoring, rebounding and assists in the conference statistics. He leads the Lions posting 15.5 ppg (7th in the Big Ten) and ranks ninth in the Big Ten in assists (3.9) and 13th in rebounding (6.3).
Indiana enters Monday as the highest scoring team in the nation posting 87.9 ppg. The Hoosiers are led by preseason All-American and Player of the Year Cody Zeller who leads the team posting 16.6 points and the Big Ten with 8.1 rebounds per game.
Penn State will return to the Jordan Center on Thursday when they will take on Northwestern in an 8:00 p.m. tip.
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 (8-5; 0-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 5 INDIANA (13-1; 1-0 Big Ten)
MONDAY, JAN. 7, 2013 @ 7:00 P.M. (ET)
BRYCE JORDAN CENTER (15,261)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.
GAME INFO
TELEVISION: BTN: Tom Hamilton (pxp) & Jimmy Jackson (analyst)
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network: Local (1450 AM); Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
Sirius/XM: 94/191
LIVE STATS:
COACHES:
PENN STATE: Patrick Chambers - 20-25 (2nd at PSU); 62-53 (4th Overall)
INDIANA: Tom Crean - 68-76 (5th at IU); 258-172 (14th Overall)
RPI: PSU: 133 ; IND: 13
NEXT UP:
PSU will continue a two-game Big Ten home stand on Thursday when it takes on Northwestern. The Lions lead the series 26-14 and are 15-3 vs. NU at home. The Wildcats won the last two meetings last year, including a controversial 67-66 victory in the Jordan Center on a late foul call and two free throws from John Shurna with three seconds to play.
THE GAME:
After having a four-game win streak snapped and falling to 7-14 all-time in Big Ten openers with a loss at Wisconsin, Penn State returns for two games at the Jordan Center as the spring semester begins Monday. Indiana will be the first opponent. The Hoosiers won three meetings last year, including 75-58 in the Big Ten Tournament in the last meeting and an 88-82 thriller on the strength of 16 threes in the Jordan Center. IU owns a 31-9 lead in the series, but Penn State has won six of the last 10 meetings. Penn State has lost its last eight games vs. ranked teams and is 1-11 vs. ranked squads under Patrick Chambers knocking off No. 22 Illinois in the BJC last year. A victory over No. 5 Purdue in 1998 marks the highest ranked foe ever to fall at the Jordan Center.
NOTES TO KNOW:
• Patrick Chambers posted his first win as a head coach defeating Indiana at the 2009 Puerto Rico Tip-Off while in his first season at Boston University.
• Coach Patrick Chambers named senior Nick Colella and junior Jermaine Marshall to join D.J. Newbill as team captains prior to the Lions' first Big Ten game of the season.
• Penn State's Ross Travis (2nd, 7.7) and IU's Cody Zeller (1st, 8.1) enter Monday's game as the top two rebounders in the Big Ten. Travis had 11 boards at Wisconsin Thursday.
• Jermaine Marshall led Penn State with 19 points at Wisconsin, his 6th time leading the team in scoring on the year. He leads the team with 23 threes and 26 steals.
• Penn State opened its 21st season of Big Ten play with a loss at Wisconsin, the fourth straight season opening conference play on the road. The Lions fell to 7-14 in Big Ten openers. Penn State is 8-12 in its first home Big Ten game of a season, including a 65-45 dispatching of Purdue last season for its first Big Ten win under Patrick Chambers.
• Penn State went 6-2 in the eight non-con games after losing do-everything guard Tim Frazier to a season-ending Achilles injury. The Lions 8-4 record in the non-con season equaled their win total from last year (8-5), despite losing Frazier early in the fourth game of the year.
• Penn States four-game win streak to end the non-con season marked its longest in two seasons under coach Patrick Chambers.
• The Lions have won five-straight at home, going 7-1 at home on the year, and posted their four highest scoring games on the season in their last four home games.
• PSU has posted seven straight games shooting over 40% after shooting under 40% in the first six games of the season and scoring more than 61 points just once (65). The Lions are shooting 36.8% from three in the last five games after hitting 25% in their first eight.
• The second of D.J. Newbill's two tomahawk dunks over 6-10 Wisconsin forward Jared Berggren was named the No. 4 play of the day on ESPN Sportscenter's Jan. 3 countdown.
• Nick Colella is a team best 11-of-22 (50%) from three over the last four games. He leads the Lions with 9 charges taken and 44 dives on the year.
• D.J. Newbill is the only Big Ten player to rank in the Top 15 of the conference statistics in scoring (7th), assists (9th) and rebounding (13th).
• Newbill's four 20-point games on the year rank tied for third in the Big Ten and his seven career double-doubles are tied for third-most among active Big Ten players.
• Sasa Borovnjak posted double-digit scoring in three straight games to finish the non-con season, including 14 vs. Duquesne, the best stretch of his career. He is posting 9.8 ppg and 4.7 rpg in the last six outings while shooting 67.6%.
• Big Minutes: D.J. Newbill ranks second (35.5) and Jermaine Marshall fifth (34.1) in minutes played in the Big Ten as the pair serve as the primary ball handlers and scorers.
• Newbill (7th, 15.5 ppg) and Marshall (9th, 14.9 ppg) are one of two sets of teammates to rank in the Top 10 in scoring in the Big Ten, and the 2nd highest scoring backcourt (30.4 ppg), behind Michigan's Trey Burke (3rd, 18.1) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (5th, 16.2), 34.3 ppg.
• Freshman Donovon Jack has played at least 8 minutes in each of the last four games, stretching Penn State's rotation to eight.
SCOUTING INDIANA:
The Hoosiers opened Big Ten play with a 69-65 win at Iowa and bring a 13-1 mark and No. 5 national ranking into Monday. IU leads the nation scoring 87.9 ppg and with a +28.3 scoring differential. They rank second in the nation in free throws made and attempted and lead the Big Ten with five players averaging 11 ppg or more. Preseason All-American and Player of the Year Cody Zeller leads IU posting 16.6 ppg and the Big Ten with 8.1 rpg. Five Hoosiers have made at least 10 threes, led by Jordan Hulls who is 36-of-70 (51%) from the arc to rank second in the Big Ten and 6-9 Christian Watford (20-46, 43%). Freshman Yogi Ferrell ranks second in the Big Ten posting 5.4 assists per game, while senior Victor Oladipo leads the league with 2.4 steals and shooting 67.3 percent on the year.
NOTES FROM WISCONSIN LOSS:
• Penn State shot 53% in the second half to close an 11-point halftime deficit to one with 2:52 to play.
• Jermaine Marshall led the Lions with 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting, his sixth time leading PSU in scoring on the year.
• Penn State out-shot UW 46% to 38% and won the rebounding battle 38-32.
• Ross Travis posted a game-high 11 rebounds, his fourth double-digit rebounding game of the year.
• Penn State shot just one free throw in the game and has a 26-1 disadvantage in attempts and 13-0 in free throw makes.
• Penn State committed 15 turnovers (10 in the first half) and UW held a 17-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
MARSHALL EMERGES:
Junior Jermaine Marshall has emerged as not only one of Penn State's main weapons, scoring 14.9 ppg, but a primary ball handler, sharing duties at the point with D.J. Newbill, and a generator of turnovers, leading the team with 26 steals (4th in the Big Ten, 2.0 spg). He led Penn State in scoring in four straight games immediately following the injury to Tim Frazier and has led the team in points five times on the year, including 19 on 9-of-14 shooting in the Big Ten opener at Wisconsin. He logged a career high five assists vs. two turnovers in the win over Delaware State for his best floor game of the year and followed that with a career high five steals in the win over New Hampshire. Marshall is the Lions' leading active career scorer (discounting the injured Tim Frazier) with 600 points and three-point shooter with 71 career threes.
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 35.5 per game to rank second in the Big Ten. He is the only Big Ten player to rank in the Top 15 of the conference statistics in scoring (7th, 15.5), assists (9th, 3.9) and rebounding (13th, 6.3). Working through growing pains at the position, he has posted 10-straight double-digit scoring games (including three 20-point outings) since taking over and is averaging 4.6 apg with a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio since moving to the point. He has led the Lions in scoring four times since Frazier's injury, posting career highs on three occasions including a 23-point, 12-rebound effort vs. Duquesne for his first double-double at Penn State and seventh of his career. His four 20-point outings on the year are tied for the third-most in the Big Ten.
BOROVNJAK BREAKING OUT IN FINAL CAMPAIGN:
Senior Sasa Borovnjak, who is in his fourth year in the program but redshirted the 2010-11 campaign due to a knee injury suffered prior to the season and is eligible for a fifth season of eligibility, has made the decision to make this his final season of of collegiate competition and plans to graduate in May. Since discussing the decision with coach Patrick Chambers, he has played the best basketball of his career. He posted three-straight double-digit scoring games in the final three non-conference outings culminating with 14, one shy of a career high, vs. Duquesne on 7-of-9 shooting. He tied a career high with eight rebounds for the second time in three games vs. Delaware State and added 14 points on a career best 8-of-10 from the foul line for the best statistical game of his career. He followed with 11 points and four boards vs. New Hampshire for the first back-to-back double-digit scoring games of his career. He is averaging 9.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg and shooting 23-of-34 (67.6%) from the floor and 13-of-18 from the foul line in his last six games after averaging 1.7 ppg and 2.4 rpg in his first seven games.
TRAVIS GETS AGGRESSIVE:
Ross Travis has staked a claim as one of the top rebounders in the Big Ten posting four double-digit rebounding games on the season, including 11 in the Big Ten opener at Wisconsin, to rank second in the Big Ten posting 7.7 rpg. Having worked hard on his jump shot in the off-season, he asserted himself offensively 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.
TAYLOR LEADING THREE-POINT SHOOTER:
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 39.6 percent (19-48) from three and is second hitting 44.2 percent overall. His 19 threes rank second on the team. 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). Taylor's 14 points vs. Army and 10 vs. New Hampshire gave him five double-digit scoring outings on the year.
OFFENSE CLICKS WITH FOUR STRAIGHT 70-POINT GAMES TO CLOSE NON-CON:
Penn State posted its four best point (78, 80, 72 & 84) and assist totals (13, 15, 13 & 12) of the season in the last four non-conference games and three of its top for shooting games. The Lions shot 47% and scored 78.5 ppg in the last four non-con outings, an increase of nearly 20 ppg over their 58.9 ppg average over the first eight games of the year. The Lions' streak of four straight games of 70+ points was their longest since posting seven in November and December of 2008 and their 84-point outing vs. Duquesne in the final non-con game was their most since 2009.
THREE-POINT DEFENSE TIGHTENS:
Penn State has allowed its last three opponents to shoot just 17-of-69 (24.6%) from three and 33% from the floor overall while posting 59.7 ppg. This after ranking at the bottom of the Big Ten for much of the first part of the season in three-point percentage defense.
FILLING IN FOR FRAZIER:
Since losing Tim Frazier and his 21.7 ppg to injury in the fourth game, Penn State actually improved its scoring average (58.8 ppg to 68.8 ppg) and shooting percentage (35.3% to 43.5%) over the last eight games of the non-conference season while going 6-2. Jermaine Marshall made the biggest increase since the loss of Frazier improving his scoring by 6.5 ppg (10.3 to 16.8) and his shooting percentage from 30.6% to 44.0% (22.6% to 40.5% from three) and seeing his assists rise dramatically from 0.7 apg to 3.0 apg. Freshman Brandon Taylor also increased his scoring from 4.0 ppg to 9.0 ppg (+5.0) and Sasa Borovnjak from 1.5 ppg to 7.1 ppg (+5.6).
BENCH PRODUCTION:
After getting 6.7 ppg from its bench over the first seven games, Penn State's bench produced double-digit scoring in each of the last five non-con games, including season highs of 20 points vs. New Hampshire and 25 vs. Duquesne to average 16.6 ppg over the last five outings, much due to increased production from senior Nick Colella and freshman Donovon Jack
LAST TIME OUT: PENN STATE 51, WISCONSIN 60, Jan. 3, 2013 • Madison, Wisc.
Penn State shot 53 percent in the second half and cut a 14- point deficit with 17:38 to play to one, 50-49, with 2:52 to go. Jermaine Marshall led the Lions with 19 points on 9-of-14 while D.J. Newbill added 12 points, 8 rebounds, four assists and two highlight reel dunks on 6-10 Jared Berggren. The Lions out-shot the Badgers 46 percent to 38 percent and won the rebounding battle 38-32, but shot just one free throw while seeing Wisconsin hit 13-of-26 at the stripe and take advantage of a 23-7 advantage in fouls called against the teams. PSU committed 15 turnovers giving UW a 17-4 edge in points off turnovers and saw UW grab 13 offensive rebounds. The Lions led by four mid-way through the first half, but suffered a six-minute scoring drought to trail by 11, 29-18, at the half. PSU owned a 33-31 scoring advantage in the second half and used runs of 11-3 and 9-0 to slice UW leads. Marshall's jumper brought PSU within one, but UW out-scored PSU 10-2 in the final 2:30.
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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