March 1, 2013
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., MARCH 1, 2013 - After posting one of the biggest upsets in program history Wednesday with an 84-78 win over No. 4 Michigan, Penn State (9-18; 1-14 Big Ten) will hit the road for two of its final three Big Ten regular season games starting Saturday at Minnesota (19-9; 7-8 Big Ten). The game is set for a 3:00 p.m. (ET) tip at Williams Arena and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
The game will mark a homecoming for sophomore forward Ross Travis (Chaska, Minn.) who is coming off his fourth double-double of the season with a career-best tying 15 points and 12 rebounds vs. Michigan. Travis is posting 9.0 rpg over his last five games and ranks fifth in the Big Ten in rebounding at 7.2 rpg on the year.
Penn State has been riding a four-game offensive surge to some of its best basketball of the season. Penn State is posting 71.5 ppg while shooting 43 percent from three over the last four games. The Lions hit a season best 10 threes and 50 percent from the arc vs. Michigan for their third game in the last four with a three-point total and shooting percentage amongst its best three on the season.
Junior Jermaine Marshall (Etters, Pa.) has been on fire posting back-to-back 20-point games, including a game-high 25 vs. Michigan, and shooting 10-of-18 (55%) from three in the last two games.
Minnesota is coming off a huge upset of its own knocking off No. 1 Indiana, 77-73, in Williams Arena on Tuesday. Senior forward Trevor Mbakwa led the Gophers with 21 points and 12 rebounds in that game. Guard Austin Hollins leads Minnesota on the season posting 13.6 ppg.
Penn State will continue a two-game road swing next Thursday when it takes on Northwestern in Evanston. That game is set for a 7:00 p.m. tip on ESPNU.
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 (9-18; 1-14 Big Ten) at MINNESOTA (19-9; 7-8 Big Ten)
SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013 @ 3:00 P.M. (ET)
WILLIAMS ARENA (14,625)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.
GAME INFO
TELEVISION: BTN: Eric Collins & Sean Harrington
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network: Local (1450 AM); Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
Sirius/XM: 94/192
LIVE STATS:
COACHES:
PENN STATE: Patrick Chambers - 21-38 (2nd at PSU); 63-66 (4th Overall)
MINNESOTA: Tubby Smith - 122-77 (6th Year); 509-222 (22nd Overall)
RPI: PSU: 189; MINN:15
NEXT UP:
PSU will continue a two-game road swing at Northwestern on Thursday. NU is the only Big Ten series Penn State leads (26-14) and only Big Ten opponent it has a winning record at (10-9). The Wildcats have won the last three meetings, including a 70-54 win in State College in early January. NU posted a 68-56 win in Evanston last year, ending a string of six straight Lion wins in the series.
THE GAME:
Coming off one of the biggest upset victories in program history, Penn State will finish the regular season with two of three games on the road starting Saturday at Minnesota, a team coming off its own upset of No. 1 Indiana. Williams Arena is the only remaining Big Ten arena second-year Penn State coach Patrick Chambers has yet to visit. The Gophers lead the series 28-10 and are 16-2 in Minneapolis. This will be the only regular season meeting. Minnesota posted an 80-66 victory in the lone meeting in State College last year. Penn State had won the previous two meetings, including a 66-63 win in its last trip to Minnesota in 2011. Penn State will look to end an 18-game road losing skid, dating to a victory at Boston College in November 2011, and a 16-game Big Ten road losing skid dating to a victory at Minnesota on March 6, 2011.
LIONS DOWN NO. 4 MICHIGAN:
Penn State's victory over No. 4 Michigan on Feb. 27 in the Bryce Jordan Center marked the highest ranked opponent Penn State has ever beaten at home. For the second-straight season, coach Patrick Chambers' team defeated a ranked opponent in the BJC after downing No. 22/25 Illinois, 54-52, last year. Michigan marked the highest ranked team Penn State has beaten since downing No. 2/3 Michigan State, 65-63, in the 2001 Big Ten Tournament and just the program's third ever victory against a team ranked in the top four of the AP poll. All have occurred since 2000, with Penn State downing AP No. 4 Ohio State, 71-66, in the 2000 Big Ten Tournament.
NOTES TO KNOW:
• Penn State played its fifth game vs. a Top 10 team this season vs. No. 4 Michigan.
• Minnesota native Ross Travis (Chaska) will be playing his first game in Minnesota as a member of the Nittany Lions. Penn State 2013 signee Graham Woodward (Edina) also hails from Minnesota and currently ranks fourth in the state in total points (666) and sixth in points per game (26.6) in high school basketball.
• PSU has shot better than 43% in each of its last four games, its longest such string since doing so in four straight games Dec. 5-Dec. 23.
• PSU posted a season-best 10 threes & 50% shooting (10-20) from the arc vs. Michigan. The Lions have posted their three best marks for number of threes and shooting percentage from the arc in three of the last four games. Penn State has 32 threes on 43.2% shooting in the last four games after posting 41 threes on 23.6% in the first 11 Big Ten games.
• PSU's 84 points vs. Michigan equaled its most ever under coach Patrick Chambers, tying the 84 scored vs. Duquesne in Dec. It was the most points in a Big Ten game since an 85-76 victory over No. 8/7 Michigan State on Feb. 2, 2008.
• Penn State held Michigan without a field goal the final 6:30 of Wednesday's game.
• Penn State is posting 71.5 ppg while shooting 44.8% from the floor and 43.2% from three over the last four games. The Lions averaged 54.8 ppg and 35.3% in its first 11 Big Ten.
• Michigan was the first Big Ten team PSU out-scored at the foul line (20-13). PSU has had seven B1G opponents record 30+ attempts at the foul line and 11 record 25+.
• Jermaine Marshall posted his second-straight 20-point game (25) vs. Michigan and logged a career-best in threes for the second straight game with six (6-10). He is 10-18 (55.5%) from the arc in his last two games and is posting 19.0 ppg over the last four.
• D.J. Newbill ranks second in assists and fourth in scoring in B1G conference games and is the ONLY Big Ten player to appear in the conference's overall statistical rankings in scoring, rebounding (19th) and assists.
• Sasa Borovnjak is posting 14.3 ppg while shooting 65.7% from the floor in his last four.
• Ross Travis Is posting 9.0 rpg over his last five games with three double-digit rebounding outings. He had career highs of 15 points, 4 assists and 4 steals vs. No. 4 Michigan.
• D.J. Newbill ranks third in the Big Ten with 176 free throw attempts trailing only Aaron White (204) and Cody Zeller (199).
• Newbill (4th, 16.0 ppg) and Marshall (6th, 16.0 ppg) are the 2nd highest scoring tandem in Big Ten games (32.0 ppg) behind Michigan's Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. (34.4).
SCOUTING MINNESOTA:
The Gophers are coming off a 77-73 upset of No. 1 Indiana in Williams Arena on Tuesday. The Gophers were led by 21 points and 12 rebounds from senior forward Trevor Mbakwe, the Big Ten's leading rebounder posting 8.6 rpg. Andre Hollins had 16 in the game and leads Minnesota posting 13.6 ppg and 3.3 apg on the year. The Gophers improved to 19-9, 7-8 in the Big Ten, and are 14-2 at home with losses to Illinios and Michigan. The Gophers have lost eight of their last 12 after starting the year 15-1 and earning a top 10 ranking. They are the Big Ten's top offensive rebounding team (15.3) and rank among the top three in assists (14.9), steals (8.2) and blocked shots (5.8). The rank in the bottom half of the Big Ten in three-point percentage (32.6) and three-point defense (34.4).
HEATING UP FROM THREE:
Penn State has posted a season-bests in number of threes and its best three, three-point percentages in three of the last four games. The Lions 10 threes vs. Michigan marked a season-best as did their 50% (10-20) from the arc, equaling the best ever under Patrick Chambers. The Lions 47.1% (8-17) vs. Iowa and 42.1% (8-19) at Illinois are the second-best marks on the season in percentage and number of threes. Three Lions are shooting 46% or better from three over the last four games. D.J. Newbill (8-16) and Nick Colella (6-12) are both at 50% while Jermaine Marshall is shooting 46.4% (13-28). No Lion with more than five attempts was shooting better than 30% over the first 11 Big Ten games. The Lions have outscored five opponents and equaled one from the arc in the last seven games.
FOUR GAME OFFENSIVE SURGE:
• PSU has had three or more players score in double-figures in each of the last four games after having no more than two in the first 11 Big Ten games • PSU is scoring 71.5 ppg, well above its average of 54.8 ppg in the first 11 Big Ten games • The Lions are out-shooting opponents 43% to 28% from three, and shooting well above their season average of 29% from the arc. • PSU is shooting 44% from the floor vs. 35% in the first 11 Big Ten • PSU has posted season bests of 17, 15 and 15 assists in the stretch and is posting 14.5 assists vs. 11.0 turnovers in the games compared to an 8.2 to 13.0 mark in the first 11 Big Ten games for an assist to turnover ratio of 1.3 vs. 0.6 in the first 11 • Three Lions are posting better than 14 pts per game over the span: Jermaine Marshall (19.0), D.J. Newbill (16.5) and Sasa Borovnjak (14.3).
MARSHALLING RESOURCES:
Junior Jermaine Marshall has snapped out of an early February shooting slump to play some of the best basketball of his career posting back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career with 20 at Illinois and 27 vs. Michigan while shooting a combined 10-of-18 (55.5%) from three and posting career-best three-point totals (4 & 6) in back-to-back games. He made his 100th career three vs. Michigan to tie Tony Ward for 13th all-time at Penn State. Marshall has been the Lions leading scorer over its recent four game offensive surge posting 19.0 ppg while tying for the team lead with 17 assists, leading the team with seven steals and ranking second with 5.0 rebounds. Marshall is 13-28 (46.4%) from three over the stretch.
70+ POINTS:
Penn State's four 70-point games in Big Ten play are its most since posting four in 2010. The Lions have eight 70+ point outings on the year, more than the seven posted last year (with one in Big Ten play) and the team's most since posting eight in 2009-10. The Lions' streak of four straight games of 70+ points to end the non-con season was their longest since posting seven in November and December of 2008.
FOUL LINE DEFICIT:
Penn State is being outscored 20.3 to 12.8 ppg at the foul line by Big Ten foes, having been outscored at the foul line in every Big Ten game before besting No. 4 Michigan (20-13). Big Ten opponents have made (304) more free throws than PSU has taken (269) and have 170 more attempts. Seven Big Ten foes have shot 30 or more free throws and 11 have attempted 25 or more.
LAST TIME OUT: PENN STATE 84, No. 4 MICHIGAN 78, Feb. 27, 2013 • Bryce Jordan Center
Penn State trailed by 15 with 10:39 to play, but out-scored Michigan 33-12 the remainder of the game and used a season-high 10 threes on 10-of-20 from the arc to upset the No. 4-ranked Wolverines, the highest ranked opponent ever beaten in the Jordan Center. Jermaine Marshall made a career best six threes (6-10) for 25 points to lead a Lion team that used a 3/4 court trap to grab nine steals, force 15 UM turnovers and turn those into 20 points. Ross Travis had career-bests of 15 points, four assists and four steals and added 12 rebounds. D.J. Newbill posted 17 points and with Travis hounded Michigan's Trey Burke all night. Burke scored 18 and Tim Hardaway, Jr. 19 to lead the Wolverines. Three straight threes, two from Marshall and one from Newbill, cut a 10-point lead to five. Travis' steal and lay-up and a Marshall three were part of an 11-0 run that put the Lions up, 77-74, for the first time since the 16:21 mark of the first. Michigan was held without a field goal the final 6:30.
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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