Nov. 26, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Head coach Patrick Chambers normally enters the locker room at halftime with a handful of things he wants to see out of the Nittany Lions in the second half.
Down 45-32 at the break against hot-shooting Akron in the BJC on Tuesday night, he only needed to say one thing to the team at the break. It was a crystal clear message to the Nittany Lions. And it was a message the group took to heart.
"We always like to give them five things that they need to adjust or work on and we didn't need five," Chambers said. "They (Akron) shot 60-percent from two and 42-percent from three, we were throwing the ball all over the place, we were walking around and there was no energy or juice, so sometimes it just comes down to wearing the jersey. Taking pride in wearing the jersey, taking pride in everything we've been through here the last three and a half years. At some point that has to come out, there has got to be a fire in those bellies in that locker room that's tired of it and I think that's what you saw in the second half."
Penn State roared out of the halftime break with a game-altering 16-0 run in the opening 6:55. Ross Travis ignited the surge with a dunk on the opening possession of the half, and the Nittany Lions never looked back in a thrilling 78-72 win over the Zips. Penn State shot 64 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes and held Akron to just 21 percent shooting. The Nittany Lions played with a purpose and were not going to be denied.
"We're tough to play for 40 minutes," said senior D.J. Newbill. "The first half was over. Coach always says, forget what happened in the first half, we have another half to play basketball. Coach made some adjustments in the lineup. He made some defensive adjustments and we went zone in the second half. That helped, because their cuts were getting shots. We came out hitting and getting stops. The stops led to easy offense, which we weren't getting in the first half."
Newbill a Model of Efficiency
Newbill's efforts in Penn State's first six games of 2014-'15 have been nothing short of stellar. The senior guard is averaging 24.5 points per game, which leads the Big Ten. But what's more impressive than Newbill's scoring is how efficient he has been. The Philadelphia native is shooting 49 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc, 84 percent from the foul line, and he is averaging 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Newbill has been as clutch as he has been efficient, as well. He scored 15 of his game-high 29 tallies against Akron in the final 11:35 of the ballgame. What stands out most to Coach Chambers is Newbill's unselfishness and ability to make those around him better.
Taylor Steps Up
Tuesday night's game may not have been junior Brandon Taylor's best shooting night, but it's hard to remember a bigger sequence of shots in the forward's Nittany Lion career than his back-to-back threes in the second half on Tuesday. Taylor's consecutive triples handed the Lions their first lead in the second half and played a huge role in the dynamic of the game. He finished with 14 points and seven boards.
"Yes, he got hot at the right time. He got hot and they (his teammates) were feeding him too. D.J. (Newbill) passed up a three to give it to him which just shows you what he's all about," Chambers said. "He sees a hot hand and he gives it up. He is a special kid. But he (Brandon Taylor) hit some big ones and I knew he would. I just felt the last two days he shot the ball really well here and he was disappointed with his performance in Charleston, so I felt like he was going to come out and make shots. Now 4-11 is not a great clip (from three), but he made shots when we needed him to make shots."
Bucknell Up Next
After enjoying a Thanksgiving meal with one another on Wednesday, focus has shifted towards a trip to Bucknell on Friday (4 p.m.). The Nittany Lions will wear throwback uniforms to honor Penn State's first color combination - pink and black - against the Bison. The Lions will also wear the throwback uniforms against Virginia Tech next Wednesday (7:15 p.m.) in the BJC during the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Friday's game at Bucknell will mark Penn State's first trip to Lewisburg since 1976.