Nov. 9, 2013
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | PHOTO GALLERY
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion duo of Tim Frazier (Houston, Texas) and D.J. Newbill (Philadelphia, Pa.) each posted double-doubles to lead the Penn State men's basketball team to a 74-62 victory over Wagner on Saturday in each team's season opener. The Blue and White have now won nine consecutive season openers, three under head coach Patrick Chambers, and are 3-0 against the Seahawks all-time.
Frazier paced the Lions with a team-high 25 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh career double-double while Newbill posted 18 points and a team-leading 11 rebounds in his second-ever double-double performance. Frazier went 6-of-16 from the field with one three-pointer and 12 free throws and Newbill drained 5-of-11 from the floor with two treys and six free throws.
Nine Nittany Lions saw action in the victory and all nine recorded at least one point. Brandon Taylor (Tabernacle, N.J.) and Ross Travis (Chaska, Minn) tallied eight points each and Donovon Jack (Reading, Pa.) and Allen Roberts (Middletown, Ohio) posted four apiece while Graham Woodward (Edina, Minn.) registered three points, Geno Thorpe (Pittsburgh, Pa.) tacked on two and Alan Wisniewski(Sterling Heights, Mich.) notched one.
Penn State shot 35.8 percent from the floor (19-of-53), 37.5 percent from beyond the arc (6-of-16) and 69.8 percent from the charity stripe (30-of-43). The Nittany Lions out-rebounded the Seahawks 47-44 and registered more blocks as well, notching five to Wagner's three.
The Seahawks were led by senior Kenneth Ortiz, who finished with 20 points, two boards, two assists and one steal. Senior Latif Rivers also reached double figures in scoring, tallying 12 points, while junior Mario Moody led the team in rebounds, pulling down 11 to go along with eight points.
Jack opened the scoring for PSU, making a pair of free throws just over one minute into the game. Wagner's Ortiz tied it up with a jumper two minutes later but then the Lions pulled away, completing a 9-0 run. Newbill started the streak with a three-pointer and Frazier followed with three more points on a layup and a free throw. Taylor capped the run with another trey with 11:26 remaining in the half and put the score at 11-2.
The Seahawks managed to pull within six as the scoreboard read 16-10 but could not close the gap completely as Penn State responded with another set of three's from Taylor and Newbill. The Blue and White close out the half with a pair of layups and a slew of free throws while allowing just 10 more points from Wagner to bring the score to 32-20 at the intermission.
The Seahawks were not intimidated by the halftime deficit, however, as they opened up the second half with a 10-1 run to pull within one. Naofall Folahan sparked the streak with a pair of free throws and Jay Harris followed with the team's first three-pointer of the contest to put the score at 32-25. PSU's Travis broke up the scoring with a free throw but Wagner did not take long to respond as Folohan dropped in a layup. Harris tacked on the final three points of the run with a layup and a free throw.
The Nittany Lions charged ahead with an 11-4 scoring streak on six points from Frazier, three from Newvbill, one from Travis and one from Wisniewski. PSU extended its lead to 54-41 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game and were able to keep the Seahawks at bay for the remainder of the contest. A free throw from Taylor in the final seconds capped the scoring as the Lions walked away with a 74-62 victory.
The Lions return to the court on Wednesday, hosting in-state rival Bucknell. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will be streamed live online via the Big Ten Digital Network.
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.
For all the latest information, notes, pictures and related links on Penn State basketball follow Associate Athletic Communications Director Alissa Clendenen (@GoPSUAlissaC) and the official Penn State men's basketball page (@PennStateMBB) on Twitter and check GoPSUsports.com. The Nittany Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatebasketball.