Feb. 16, 2013
VIDEO: Chambers presents $14,200 check to THON
GALLERY: Chambers presents $14,200 check to THON
GAME NOTES | WATCH: BTN| LISTEN |
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., FEB. 16, 2013 - Penn State (8-16; 0-12 Big Ten) will begin a stretch of four of five games on the road Sunday when the Nittany Lions take on No. 4 Michigan (21-4; 8-4 Big Ten) in a noon tip in Ann Arbor, Mich. The game will be televised live by the Big Ten Network and can be heard on the Penn State Sports Network.
Shortly before the Lions's departure for Ann Arbor on Friday, coach Patrick Chambers presented a check for $14,200 to Penn State Dance Marathon, fulfilling a pledge to donate $10 for every Penn State student that attended Thursday night's game vs. Iowa.
Penn State will be looking for its first conference win of the season and looking to end a 16-game road losing streak when it takes on its fifth top 15 ranked team of the season Sunday.
Sophomore guard D.J. Newbill (Philadelphia, Pa.) is coming off his eighth 20-point game of the season with a team-leading 26 points and eight rebounds in the Lions' close, 74-72, loss to Iowa on Thursday in the Jordan Center. Penn State tied a season high with eight threes in that game while shooting a season best 47.1 percent from the arc in the game.
The Lions also logged a season high 17 assists and had three players reach double-figure scoring for the first time in Big Ten play vs. Iowa as Sasa Borovnjak (Belgrade, Serbia) posted a career-best 14 points in a Big Ten game and Jermaine Marshall (Etters, Pa.) added 14 points and a career high 10 assists for his second career double-double.
Michigan has lost three of its last four games, all on the road, since reaching the No. 1 ranking two weeks ago, but brings a 14-0 home record into Sunday's contest and is defeating opponents by an average of 22.9 ppg at home on the season. They are led by National Player of the Year candidate Trey Burke who is posting 18.2 points per game and a Big Ten leading 7.0 assists per game.
Penn State will continue a run of four of five games on the road Thursday at Illinois. The game is set for an 8:15 p.m. (ET) tip on the Big Ten Network.
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 (all commonwealth campuses) 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 (8-16; 0-12 Big Ten) at No. 4 MICHIGAN (21-4; 8-4 Big Ten)
SUNDAY, FEB. 17, 2013 @ 12:00 P.M. (ET)
CRISLER CENTER (12,693)
ANN ARBOR, MICH.
GAME INFO
TELEVISION: BTN: Tom Hamilton (p-by-p) & Shon Morris (analyst)
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network: Local (1450 AM); Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
Sirius/XM: 128/192
LIVE STATS:
COACHES:
PENN STATE: Patrick Chambers - 20-36 (2nd at PSU); 62-64 (4th Overall)
MICHIGAN: John Beilein - 112-81 (6th at UM); 663-399 (35th Overall)
RPI: PSU: 202; MICH: 5
NEXT UP:
PSU will continue a run of four of its final six regular season games on the road Thursday at Illinois. The Lions downed the Illini, 54-52, in the BJC last year. PSU will be traveling to Champaign for the first time since dropping a 68-51 decision in 2011. PSU is 5-11 at Illinois, last winning there 38-33 in 2009, and has won 3 of the last 5 games there.
THE GAME:
Penn State will play four of its next five games on the road beginning Sunday at No. 4 Michigan. The Wolverines will be PSU's sixth ranked foe of the season and fourth in the Top 10. The Lions are 2-16 all-time at Michigan and last won in Ann Arbor in 2010, 55-51. UM has won the last four meetings in the series, including 71-53 in Crisler Arena last year. UM leads the series overall 27-11.This will be the first of two meetings between the teams this season within a span of three games and 10 days. Penn State is seeking its first conference win of the season and will look to end a 16-game road losing skid, dating to a victory at Boston College in November 2011, and a 14-game Big Ten road losing skid dating to a victory at Minnesota on March 6, 2011.
CHAMBERS DONATES $14,200 TO THON:
Penn State coach Patrick Chambers presented a check for $14,200 at Penn State Dance Marathon 2013 Friday afternoon before the team departed for Michigan. Chambers had pledged to donate $10 for every Penn State student that attended Thursday night's contest with Iowa. THON 2013 kicked off Friday in the Jordan Center and runs February 15-17 with over 700 dancers and thousands of student volunteers taking part in the 46-hour event. The world's largest student run philanthropy, THON raised a record of more than $10.6 million last year and has raised more than $89 million since its inception in 1977 to support the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital.
• Patrick Chambers, D.J. Newbill, Jon Graham, Kevin Montminy, Patrick Ackerman and on-campus recruiting coordinator David Caporaletti shaved their heads as part of the No Hair, Don't Care campaign supporting THON.
NOTES TO KNOW:
• D.J. Newbill is the only Big Ten player to appear in the conference statistical rankings for Big Ten games in scoring (3rd), rebounding (17th) and assists (4th).
• Coming off his 8th 20-point game of the season with 26 vs. Iowa, D.J. Newbill is posting 20 ppg in his last four outings and 18.9 ppg over his last eight.
• Sasa Borovnjak's 14 points vs. Iowa marked his most ever in a Big Ten game. He is posting 9.5 ppg over his last four home games while shooting 60.7%.
• Jermaine Marshall posted a career high 10 assists vs. Iowa, the most for a Lion since Tim Frazier had 11 vs. Youngstown State in November of 2011. His output was part of 17 assists for the Lions, the most in two seasons under coach Patrick Chambers. Marshall's 4.25 apg over the last four games leads the Lions.
• PSU shot a season-best 47.1% (8-17) from three vs. Iowa and tied a season high with 8 threes, marking the most in Big Ten play and second time over 40% from the arc on the year.
• Penn State has a 661-595 (+66) advantage in field goal attempts vs. B1G opponents.
• Penn State trails B1G opponents 348-209 (-139) in free throw attempts.
• Penn State has been whistled for 73 more fouls than opponents in Big Ten games.
• Newbill (10) or Marshall (9) have led the Lions in scoring in 19 of the 21 games since Tim Frazier went down with injury.
• D.J. Newbill ranks third in the Big Ten with 164 free throw attempts trailing only Cody Zeller (185) and Aaron White (171). Brandon Paul (157) is the only other player within 25 attempts. Newbill has gotten to the foul line at least once in 52 of 55 career games.
• Penn State has gotten to the line an average of 21 times in the last eight games, but is being outscored 22.4-14.5 ppg at the foul line in the last eight games and trails Big Ten foes 12.3 to 20.1 ppg at the foul line overall, having been outscored at the foul line in every Big Ten game so far.
• Newbill (5th, 16.2 ppg) and Marshall (7th, 14.7 ppg) are the 2nd highest scoring tandem in the Big Ten (30.9 ppg), behind Michigan's Trey Burke (2nd, 18.2) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (6th, 15.5), 33.7 ppg.
• Newbill and Marshall account for 50% of the Lions' points and 51% of steals.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN:
The No. 4-ranked Wolverines climbed as high as the No. 1 ranking before losing three of their last four games, with all the losses on the road. They will return to Crisler Center where they are 14-0 on the year and 29-1 over the last two seasons and are beating opponents by 22.9 ppg while posting 79.8 ppg at home this year. UM lost, 75-52, at No. 8 Michigan State in their last outing Tuesday. They are 21-4 on the year, 8-4 in the Big Ten and are led by national Player of the Year candidate Trey Burke who is posting 18.2 ppg and leads the Big Ten with 7.0 assists per game. Tim Hardaway Jr., ranks fifth in the Big Ten posting 15.5 ppg and freshman Nik Stauskas (12.0) and Glenn Robinson III (10.9) also average double-figures in the starting line-up.
OFFENSE CLICKS VS IOWA:
For the first time in a Big Ten game, Penn State had three players reach double-figure scoring in a close 74-72 loss to Iowa. D.J. Newbill (26), Jermaine Marshall (14) and Sasa Borovnjak (14) carried the scoring as Penn State posted a season-best 47.1% from three and equaled a season-high with eight threes, led by a career best three from Newbill. The Lions 72 points and 44.3% shooting overall were their best output in seven games and equaled a Big Ten season high of 72 points vs. Michigan State. The Lions' 17 assists, led by a career high 10 from Marshall, marked the most ever recorded in two seasons under coach Patrick Chambers, and were more than the team had posted in the previous two games combined.
NEWBILL HITS GROOVE/LONE PLAYER TO APPEAR IN THREE BIG TEN RANKINGS:
Over his last eight games, sophomore guard D.J. Newbill is averaging 18.9 points, 4.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 45-62 (72%) from the foul line. He has posted double-digit scoring in eight straight games, has three of his eight 20-point games on the year during the stretch, including season highs of 27 points vs. Michigan State and 26 vs. Iowa, and posted a career-best 3-of-5 (60%) from three vs. Iowa. He now stands third in Big Ten games in scoring (16.7), fourth in assists (4.0) and 17th in rebounding (5.4), the only player to appear in the rankings of those three categories in conference play.
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 36.2 per game to rank second in the Big Ten. Working through growing pains at the position, He posted his best floor game with just one turnover and six assists to go with 15 points in 39 minutes vs. Ohio State Aaron Craft (1/26). He has posted double-digit points in 21 of 24 games with EIGHT 20-point outings, including a career high 27 vs. Michigan State (1/16) and 26 vs. Iowa (2/14). He has led the Lions in scoring 10 times since Frazier's injury, posting career highs on four occasions including a 23-point, 12-rebound effort vs. Duquesne for his first double-double at Penn State and seventh career. His EIGHT 20-point outings on the year are third most in the Big Ten.
A NEW MARSHALL IN TOWN:
Junior Jermaine Marshall has emerged as not only one of Penn State's main weapons, ranking 7th in the Big Ten scoring 14.7 ppg, but a primary ball handler, sharing duties at the point with D.J. Newbill, and a generator of turnovers, leading the team with 37 steals (7th in the Big Ten, 1.5 spg) and 86 deflections. He had two double-doubles on the year, posting his first with career highs of 29 points and 10 rebounds vs. Michigan State (1/16). His combined point and rebound total (39) were the most by a Nittany Lion since Talor Battle posted 28 points and 13 rebounds (41) in a 69-61 win over Michigan in 2008. He logged his second double-double with 14 ponts and a career high 10 assists vs. Iowa (2/14), the most assists for a Lion since Tim Frazier posted 11 in a game in Novermber of 2011. Marshall has two 20-point games on the year. He has led Penn State is scoring NINE times on the year. He also had 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 759 points and three-point shooter with 89 career threes.
BOROVNJAK STRONG 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 and started 16 straight games.
• He has raised his scoring in recent Big Ten games posting 8.4 ppg and 52.9% shooting over his last five games.
• His 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting (75%) vs. Iowa (2/14) were one shy of his career high and marked his most ever in a Big Ten game. He had nine points vs. No. 14 Ohio State and has posted seven or more in for of his last five games.
• He posted three-straight double-digit scoring games to close out the non-conference season, culminating with 14 vs. Duquesne on 7-of-9 shooting, and averaged 10.2 ppg over the final five non-conference games.
• He tied a career high with eight rebounds for the second time in three games vs. Delaware State and added 14 points for the best statistical game of his career. He followed with 11 points vs. New Hampshire for his first back-to-back double-digit scoring games. • Averaging 1.7 ppg and 2.4 rpg in his first seven games, he has raised his averages to 6.9 ppg and 2.8 rpg in Big Ten games.
LAST TIME OUT: IOWA 74, PENN STATE 72, Feb. 14, 2013 • Bryce Jordan Center
For the first time in Big Ten play Penn State had three scorers reach double-figures and the Lions shot season's best 47.1% from three while tying a season high with eight threes, but couldn't overcome a 20-10 Iowa scoring advantage at the foul line and 40-29 advantage on the boards, falling 74-72. D.J. Newbill lead the Lions with 26 points, a career-best 3-of-5 from three, and eight rebounds while defending Iowa's hot scorers. Jermaine Marshall added 14 points and a career high 10 assists and Sasa Borovnjak posted a career-best 14 points in a Big Ten game. Iowa was led by 22 points from Roy Devyn Marble. The Hawkeyes built a 12-point second half lead with an 11-0 run and four-minute PSU scoring drought. The Lions used a 10-1 run to get within three, 62-59, with 6:29 to play. The Lions trailed 70-68 with 1:13 to play and missed on two opportunities to tie or take the lead before Iowa closed the game out with 4-of-6 at the foul line.
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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