Nov. 17, 2014
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Relentless.
That has been the approach that Patrick Chambers has preached to his players throughout his tenure as head coach of the Penn State men's basketball team.
On Sunday against Fordham, the Nittany Lions defense embodied that word, shutting down the Rams for much of the evening in a convincing 73-54 win.
The Nittany Lions held the Rams to just 29 percent shooting from the field, marking the first time Penn State held a team under 30 percent since a 72-45 win over New Hampshire on Dec. 23, 2012. The Lions also forced 17 turnovers and won the rebounding battle 40 to 37.
"Just five guys playing as one," senior guard D.J. Newbill said. "Talking and communicating and just playing hard. We were out there helping each other and our rotations were on point."
While they limited the Rams throughout the game, the Blue and White's defense was particularly sharp in the first half, as they hold Fordham to a mere 20 percent shooting performance (6 for 30).
As eye-popping as that stat is, the number that really exemplified the Lions' effort on that end of the court is 10:30. That's the amount of time Penn State held the Rams without a field goal during the middle of the first half.
It was that stretch that changed the course of the game. When Chris Sengfelder scored at the 16:22 mark, the Rams were leading 10-5. By the time Manny Suarez finally ended the drought with a 3-pointer with 5:52 remaining, the Lions had a 25-16 lead and a hold on the game.
For Chambers, the highlight of those ten minutes wasn't simply getting stops. It was seeing his players actively communicating with one another.
"When you see us talking early and often, man we're really good on the defensive end," Chambers said. "We're really solid.
"There was a situation out there, we were playing zone, Ross Travis, Julian Moore, I think all five guys were talking. If we can get to that level, now you're back to being the best defensive team in the league. I'm talking about the Big Ten and that's what we're striving for."
One player that especially represents that mindset is sophomore guard Geno Thorpe.
While not one of the team's top scorers (he finished the game with four points), Thorpe is as tenacious and dogged as they come. In 16 minutes of playing time Sunday, he registered two steals, grabbed three rebounds and picked up an assist on what was arguably the play of the game.
With Penn State leading 22-11 eight minutes in, the 6-foot-3 guard dove for a steal near midcourt, then flipped the ball to Newbill who slammed home an emphatic dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.
"Geno might not have been big on the score sheet but he does so many things that helps us out," Newbill said. "He's always in passing lanes, he's always guarding the best [scorers].
"And that steal just kind of raised the momentum. The crowd went crazy, the team was pumped up. Now everybody's like, `let's go,' and getting the energy back. That's what Geno does for us."
Thorpe was one of three players on Penn State to finish with multiple steals, as Travis and guard John Johnson each had two as well. On the offensive end, four Nittany Lions, Newbill (18), Shep Garner (12), Johnson (11) and Brandon Taylor (11) reached double-figures.
Still, it was their work when the Rams had the ball that impressed Fordham head coach Tom Pecura.
While his players came out with energy and even led for the first 5:11 of the game, Pecura said that the Lions were ultimately too much for his young squad to handle.
"I think that their intensity and physicality, you know all of a sudden [we're] shooting a little quicker or we're hesitant because they've closed down hard the possession before," Pecura said. "They did a great job rotating...they're well drilled in that and I think that had a lot to do with it."
Penn State has now held opponents to just 30 percent shooting and 51 points per game in its first two contests. Despite this, Chambers knows they can be even better.
Although they've started off well, there is still plenty of basketball to play and a number of challenging Big Ten opponents to face. With five upcoming games between Nov. 20 and Nov. 28, the Lions will begin to find out how far along they are.
"We're still a work in progress, we can be a whole lot better," Chambers said. "But a ton of positives. I thought we were consistent throughout. Overall, for 40 minutes I thought we played consistent."