Nov. 3, 2013
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Nov. 3, 2013) - Junior Ross Travis (Chaska, Minn.) led the way for the Penn State men's basketball team as the Nittany Lions downed Northwood (Fla.) 98-61 in an exhibition game Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Blue and White had seven players reach double figures in scoring in the Lions' unofficial return to the court. Penn State opens the 2013-14 regular-season campaign Saturday against Wagner at 4 p.m. in the Jordan Center.
"You know, we're shooting the ball well," Patrick Chambers, third-year Lion head coach said. "We worked extremely hard in the offseason on our skill set and I think it's showing; it's coming through."
Travis paced Penn State with 17 points, eight rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes of action. Sophomore Brandon Taylor (Tabernacle, N.J.) posted 15 points and six boards, while Tim Frazier (Houston, Texas), D.J. Newbill (Philadelphia, Pa.), Graham Woodward (Edina, Minn.) and Allen Roberts (Middletown, Ohio) each tallied 11 points and Donovan Jack (Reading, Pa.) added 10 in the victory.
"Ross Travis looks like a confident guy," Chambers said. "He's ready to step up and be that second or third scorer. Brandon Taylor, same thing. I think it's important, you have to understand that were going to miss shots, but I think we also have some post up situations that we went to when they went on their little run that got us back in the game."
Frazier also registered a team-best six assists along with three boards, one block and one steal while Jack and Roberts added seven rebounds apiece.
Geno Thorpe (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Kevin Montminy (Centre Hall, Pa.) and Payton Banks (Orange, Calif.) also scored for the Nittany Lions as all 12 available players saw action and 10 posted 10 or more minutes.
Penn State hit 47 percent from the field, making 31-of-66 shots, and shot 44 percent from behind the arc. The Lions missed their first two 3-pointers but then went on to make three in a row to finish out the game hitting 12-of-27. PSU picked up 14 steals and forced 20 Seahawk turnovers, hit 22 second chance baskets and outscored Northwood 34-20 in the paint.
The Seahawks were led by juniors Chris Solomon and Fred Mattison, who tallied 19 and 18 points, respectively. Solomon went 5-of-12 from the field and Mattison made 6-of-11.
Northwood came out of the gates hot with a quick 11-2 run to start the game but the Seahawks' lead did not last long after a lay-up by Jack jumpstarted PSU's offense, leading to a 7-0 run and moving the Lions within two, 11-9. A layup and a made free throw from NU's Fred Mattison allowed the Seahawks to hold on for a little longer but 3-pointers by Newbill and Travis put the Nittany Lions ahead, 15-14. The treys also kicked off an 18-0 run for the Blue and White, bringing the score to 30-14 with eight and a half minutes remaining in the first half and the Lions never looked back, maintaining a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.
"Northwood jumped us," said Chambers. "I mean it's a well-coached team. Those kids were ready to go and I give coach Massamino a lot of credit, but I was proud of our guys, they responded well. I think in years past we might have gotten a little nervous, a little worried there, but when we called that time out I just told them relax, exhale. I could tell they were so jacked up in the locker room, and sometimes that can go as a negative, and I think that's what it was. So I was really proud of them, the way they competed."
PSU added 22 more points before halftime, including three additional 3-pointers from Taylor, Roberts and Woodward and dunks by Jack and Newbill, and allowed just 16 points from NU to put the score at 52-30 at the intermission.
The Nittany Lions continued to dominate in the second half as Frazier produced four-consective jumpers in the opening four minutes. The Seahawks attempted to close the gap with layups from Mattison but PSU forged ahead, extending its lead to 71-41 with just over 12 minutes remaining. Free throws by Montminy gave the Blue and White their largest lead of the game, 98-59, as the clock approached the one-minute mark. Mattison hit one final jumper for NU with 25 seconds remaining to leave the score at 98-61.
Nittany Lion basketball single-game tickets or group tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY, visiting GoPSUsports.com or through Ticketmaster. Single-game tickets range from $5-$24 with special group ticket rates for groups of 15 fans or more. Six-game mini plans also are currently available and feature games against: Marshall (Dec. 7), Michigan State (Dec. 31), Indiana (Jan. 11), Iowa (Feb. 15), Ohio State (Feb. 27) and Wisconsin (March 2). More information is available on GoPSUsports.com/tickets.
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