Nov. 24, 2014
PENN STATE (4-1) vs. AKRON (3-1)
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's basketball team returns home to the Bryce Jordan Center to host Akron at approximately 8 p.m. Tuesday. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Tim Neverett and former Nittany Lion Brian Allen on the call.
The game is the second half of a doubleheader with the PSU women with a $5 general admission charge covering entrance to both games.
BRYCE JORDAN CENTER BAG POLICY
No backpacks or duffle bags are permitted during varsity athletic events, other athletic and non-athletic events at this venue. No bags or purses larger than 8.5"x11"x6" will be permitted. All other bags will be searched upon entrance to the facility.
TICKET INFORMATION
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-$26 with special group ticket rates for groups of 15 fans or more. More information is available on GoPSUsports.com/tickets. [PURCHASE]
QUICK HITS
- The Nittany Lions (4-1) are coming off a fifth-place finish at the eight-team Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C. They rebounded from a double-overtime loss to Charlotte Thursday to defeat Cornell Friday on a last-second buzzer-beater from D.J. Newbill and edge Southern California Sunday. [RECAP]
- The two wins at the Charleston Classic stand as the first multi-win performance at a neutral-site, regular-season tournament for Penn State since the 2000 ECAC Holiday Classic. The Lions went on to the Sweet 16 that season.
- Penn State opens the 2014-15 season with seven games within the first 14 days of the season, the most games within the first two calendar weeks of the season in program history.
- D.J. Newbill earned all-tournament team honors after producing 83 points (27.7 ppg) over the three games, a Charleston Classic record. He is averaging 23.6 on the season, tops in the Big Ten and eighth in the country among Division I players.
- Newbill is 10th among active Division I players in career scoring with 1,519 points (including freshman season at So. Miss.). His 1,226 PSU points are currently No. 18 in program history.
- Shep Garner has started all five games so far in his rookie season and is averaging 12.6 ppg with 10-plus points in each outing. He is the first PSU freshman to tally double-digits through the first four games in at least 10 years.
- The PSU coaching staff recently signed its best recruiting class in program history with the No. 28 class according to 247. Josh Reaves and Mike Watkins are each ESPN Top 100 recruits with Deividas Zemgulis joining them as an ESPN 3-Star recruit. [RELEASE]
SCOUTING AKRON
The Zips enter the game Tuesday with a 3-1 record after going 2-1 at the Charleston Classic and finishing third. They defeated Southern California to open tourney action Thursday, before falling to Miami, 79-51, Friday and then edging South Carolina Sunday, 68-63.
Four players are averaging in double figures for the Zips, led by Noah Robotham's 12.0 ppg. Robotham was named Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week Monday following his efforts at the tournament. Against the Gamecocks, the freshman guard led all scorers with 16 points and added a team-high six rebounds.
SERIES HISTORY
Penn State leads the all-time series with Akron, 4-2, with the last meeting taking place in the 2012-13 season at the Puerto Rico Tipoff. A game which Nittany Lion fans remember as the one Tim Frazier ruptured his Achilles and was out for the remainder of the season, the Zips won 85-60. PSU won the previous four meetings by an average of 26 points.
LIONS vs. THE MAC
Penn State is 31-14 all-time against current members of the Mid-American Conference, although the Lions have not faced one since the loss to Akron in 2012.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions travel to Lewisburg, Pa., Friday to take on Bucknell at 4 p.m. in Sojka Pavilion. The Bison are 1-4 on the season with a game Tuesday in the Legends Classic. Penn State leads the all-time series 76-25 an making its first trip to Bucknell since 1976. Both teams will wear retro jerseys for the event with Penn State's featuring the original school colors - pink and black. [UNIFORMS]