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Nov. 27, 2014
PENN STATE (5-1) at BUCKNELL (2-4)
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State makes its first trip to Lewisburg, Pa., since 1976 to take on Bucknell at 4 p.m. Friday in Sojka Pavilion. Both teams will wear throwback uniforms for the occasion, honoring the longtime rivalry dating back to 1897. Limited tickets remain for purchase through Bucknell's ticket return site [HERE].
The Nittany Lions (5-1) are coming off a comeback win vs. Akron, 78-72, Tuesday evening in the Bryce Jordan Center. The team trailed by as many as 14, but used a 16-0 run at the start of the second half to take control. D.J. posted 29 points in the win, his fourth-consecutive game with 20-plus points. [RECAP]
QUICK HITS
- The Lions have battled back from deficits of 14 (Akron), 6 (Southern California) and 13 (Cornell) in its three-game winning streak.
- Penn State had a 46-27 advantage in the second half vs. the Zips Tuesday. The Lions are outscoring opponents 236-191 (+45) in the second frame through six games this season, opposed to being outscored 198-194 (-4) in the first period.
- Penn State has opened 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. Friday vs. Bucknell will be the seventh game in the stretch with the team having four days before its next game vs. Virginia Tech.
- D.J. Newbill is averaging 24.5 on the season, tops in the Big Ten and fourth in the country among Division I players. Through Wednesday games this week, he had 147 total points, the most of any DI player.
- Newbill is 10th among active Division I players in career scoring with 1,548 points (including freshman season at So. Miss.). His 1,226 PSU points are currently No. 17 in program history.
- Shep Garner (11.3 ppg) and Brandon Taylor (10.2 ppg) join Newbill in double-figure scoring through six games. Garner tallied 10-plus points in each of the first five games of his freshman season before being limited to five vs. Akron but posting early career highs in rebounds (3), assists (3) and steals (2).
THROWBACK UNIFORMS
Penn State's uniforms for Friday, and again next Wednesday vs. Virginia Tech, are black and pink, honoring the school's original school colors established in 1887. The color pairing lasted just 2.5 years. Problems arose when the pink faded to white after several weeks of exposure to the sun. The students then opted for blue, rather than black, and white. The official announcement of the new choice was made on March 18, 1890.
The Bison kits are from the mid-1970s era, complete with "Bisons" across the chest, as the teams were known then. Bucknell players also will wear orange and blue striped pants, while the shooting shirts will feature a simple, block "B." That is an homage to the 1897 Bucknell basketball team -- the year the two teams first met.
SCOUTING BUCKNELL
The Bison enter Friday's game with a 2-4 record after edging Maryland-Eastern Shore 58-55 Tuesday in the Legends Classic Subregional in Toledo, Ohio. They are being led by Chris Hass whose 16.8 points per game are nine more than his nearest teammate. Hass had six points in the final 23 seconds of the UMES win, including the three go-ahead free throws with 5.3 seconds to play. The leading rebounder is D.J. MacLeay, who has 5.3 per game coming off the bench in all six games.
Bucknell lost four players to graduation from the team who defeated Penn State last season, including 2014 Patriot League Player of the Year Cameron Ayers.
SERIES HISTORY
Penn State holds a 76-25 advantage in the all-time series with Bucknell, including wins in 12 of the last 13 meetings. The Bison captured last season's game 90-80 in the Bryce Jordan Center Nov. 13, 2013, their first win in the series since 1976 and the Lions' last trip to Lewisburg.
Bucknell is one of four opponents Penn State has faced over 100 times (102), trailing just Pittsburgh (147), West Virginia (119) and Syracuse (105).
The first game in Penn State men's basketball history occurred in Lewisburg with the Bison taking a 24-4 victory in 1897. The Lions returned the favor later that year recording a 10-7 victory over Bucknell at The Armory on Penn State's campus for the first victory in the program's history. Bucknell was Penn State's only opponent that season.
Bucknell served as the opponent in the first four games in the Penn State program's history, with the teams splitting the outcomes 2-2. The teams met twice a year between 1897 and 1900.
Patrick Chambers is 2-2 all-time vs. Bucknell, going 1-1 at both Penn State and while at Boston University.
LAST TIME VS. THE BISON
D.J. Newbill had a team-high 18 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals while Ross Travis and Brandon Taylor each posted then-career highs in scoring with 17 points apiece. The Blue and White shot 49 percent (28-of-57) from the field and 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from three-point range but could not compete with the Bison, who shot 60.9 percent (28-of-46) from the floor and 66.7 (10-of-15) from beyond the arc. [RECAP]