March 24, 2014
Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery
ALBANY, N.Y. - D.J. Newbill (Philadelphia, Pa.) led Penn State with 17 points on Monday evening but his efforts fell short as the Nittany Lions fell to Siena, 54-52, in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Invitational. The loss brings the Blue and White's final 2013-14 record to 16-18 overall, marking the third most victories for a Penn State team in this millennium.
Sophomore Brandon Taylor (Tabernacle, N.J.) came close to a double-double effort vs. the Saints, turning in eight points and a team-high eight rebounds while fifth-year guard Tim Frazier (Houston, Texas) posted five points, two rebounds and three assists in his final performance as a Nittany Lion.
Penn State shot 30.4 percent (17-of-56) from the field, 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from three-point range and 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from the free throw line while Siena hit 40.4 percent (21-of-52) of their shots from the floor, 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from beyond the arc and 58.3 percent (5-of-12) from the line.
Lavon Long led the charge for Siena, dropping 17 points and Brett Bisping registered a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Rob Poole also reached double figures for the Saints, notching 11 points.
The Nittany Lions and the Saints battled throughout the game, registering five ties and lead changes over the course of the 40-minute competition.
A 16-4 Siena run at the end of the first half gave the Saints a 25-21 advantage heading into the intermission. Siena pushed its lead to seven with just under 14 minutes remaining in the second half by after a layup from Rob Poole. The Blue and White answered with an 11-3 run to gain a 39-38 lead with 9:10 to play.
Frazier, Newbill and freshman Geno Thorpe (Pittsburgh, Pa.) each hit a three-pointer as part of the run.
The teams went back and forth over a six-minute stretch before Siena made it a pulled ahead by five with back-to-back jumpers off of turnovers with just under three minutes to play.
The Lions cut the deficit to one in the final minutes but were unable to retake the lead as the fell to the Saints, 54-52.