Dec. 18, 2014
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State looks for its ninth-consecutive win when it takes on in-state foe Drexel at the recently-opened PPL Center Saturday in Allentown, Pa. The game will tip at 2 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN3 with Tim Neverett and former Nittany Lion Brian Allen on the call.
The Nittany Lions are 10-1 on the season and riding an eight-game winning streak, both of which are the best marks since the 1995-96 season when the Lions started 13-0.
The game Saturday will be the first meeting between Penn State and Drexel since 1992 and will be the first of two scheduled off-campus contests. The Nittany Lions are the host team at the PPL Center, while the Dragons will be the home team next year at the Palestra (Date: TBD).
Tickets for the game Saturday are available from the Penn State box office by calling 1-800-NITTANY or from the PPL Center gate the day of the game.
| QUICK HITS |
EARNING VOTES | Penn State received votes in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time since the 2011 season. The Nittany Lions have not been ranked in either since 1996.
DREXEL | The Dragons enter Saturday with a 2-7 record after dropping each of their last three games. They have two mutual opponents with the Nittany Lions in USC and Cornell as participants in the Charleston Classic.
LAST TIME OUT | Penn State downed George Washington 64-51 last Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Three players scored in double-figures, led by D.J. Newbill's 20 points. [RECAP]
NON-CONFERNCE WINS | Penn State has hit 10 conference wins for the first time under Patrick Chambers and first since 2008-09. The record for wins before league play is 11, set during that 08-09 campaign.
BEST IN THE B1G | At eight games, Penn State has the longest winning streak among all 14 Big Ten teams and is tied with Maryland and Wisconsin for the highest win percentage (.909). The trio is tied for 10th in Division I.
HOME SWEET HOME | Penn State is 6-0 in the Bryce Jordan Center this season and has won each of its last 11 non-conference games in the BJC.
CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS | Penn State is third among league teams in rebounds with 39.7 per game, up from 35.2 last season. The Lions have outrebounded its opponent in eight of 11 games. Ross Travis is second in the Big Ten with 7.9 rpg and an average of 8.8 in the last four games.
KEEPING IT CLOSE | Through 11 games, Penn State has had four decided by one possession, winning each of them. Last season, the Lions had eight games decided by three points or fewer in the regular season. They lost each of the first five and won the last three, giving them a seven-game win streak in regular-season, one-possession games.
COMEBACKS | The Lions have battled back from second-half deficits of 14 (Akron), 13 (Cornell), 8 (Virginia Tech) and 6 (Southern California) in recent wins.
UP NEXT | Penn State closes out the non-conference slate with Dartmouth at 4 p.m. Monday in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Big Green is 4-5 on the season with a game vs. Northern Illinois Friday before coming to University Park. Over 2,000 tickets have been purchased for the game through "Hoops for the Holidays," which allotted to well-deserving children and their families though programs like The Jared Box, Mt. Nittany Hospital, Easter Seals, The Park Forest Pre School, Janet Weiss Children's Hospital, Friends of Jaclyn and Hershey Medical Center.
| THE MATCHUP |
SCOUTING DREXEL
- The Dragons enter Saturday with a 2-7 record after falling to Buffalo, 80-70, Tuesday on the road. Their two wins came vs. Cornell, 61-59, in the Charleston Classic, and at home against Southern Mississippi, 59-36. Drexel's other mutual opponent with Penn State is Southern California.
- Damion Lee leads the Dragons with 20.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He is the lone Drexel player averaging in double figures and has led the team in scoring in all but one game on the year.
- Rodney Williams is the team's leading rebounder with 8.0 per game, while tallying 8.9 ppg.
- The Dragons are coached by Bruiser Flint, who in his 14th season with the program.
SERIES HISTORY
- Penn State is 4-0 in the all-time series, though the teams have not met since 1992. The last meeting was a 73-64 win for the Nittany Lions Dec. 21, 1992 in Rec Hall. John Amaechi had the first 20-point game of his career in the win.
- This game is the first of two off-campus games scheduled. Penn State will be the home team at the PPL Center, while the Dragons will play host next season in the Palestra on a to-be-determined mid-December date.
CONNECTIONS
- Patrick Chambers and Drexel coach Bruiser Flint both played at Episcopal Academy in Philly for the legendary coach Dan Dougherty. Flint graduated in 1983, while Chambers finished in 1989 before going on to play at Philadelphia University, where he remains the all-time assists leader.
- Chambers and Flint will pay tribute to Dougherty, who retired as the winningest coach in Philadelphia City League history, in a pregame ceremony.
- Shep Garner was a high school teammate with Drexel's Rashann London at Roman Catholic in Philadelphia. The pair played together for six years; this is the first time they will face each other as opposition.
ABOUT THE PPL CENTER | The PPL Center is a state-of-the-art multipurpose arena in downtown Allentown, Pa. The arena seats more than 10,000 for concerts and more than 8,500 for Phantoms professional hockey games, making it the region's largest events venue. The amenities-packed PPL Center will host more than 140 events each year. PPL Center will be the heart of the Lehigh Valley and is currently the main catalyst to the revitalization and growth of downtown Allentown.
| PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS |
D.J. Newbill | is averaging 22.1 ppg, tops in the Big Ten and ninth in the country among DI players. Through Wednesday games this week, his 241 total points and 8` made field goals were the second and third-most of any DI player, respectively.
With 1,329 career points at Penn State, Newbill holds the record among players to spend just three years in the Blue and White and is No. 12 all-time.
Shep Garner | is second on the team in both scoring (10.5 ppg) and assists (2.3 apg) as a freshman. He has scored 10+ in all but three games this season, but has seen increased assist and rebound numbers when limited in scoring.
Brandon Taylor | has scored 17 points in two of the last three games and is third on the team in scoring with 10.4 points per game. In games when BT scores in double figures, the Nittany Lions average 78.8 points per game with a +6.8 scoring margin, compared to 64.2 as a team and a margin of just +4.2.
Donovon Jack | is averaging 5.8 points per game in the last four games since coming off the bench, compared to 3.5 as a starter. He has been an asset around the rim, picking up several points off a rebound and put-back. Against Marshall, there was a 30-second span with an offensive rebound, bucket, defensive rebound and two made FTs to help seal the win late in the game.
Geno Thorpe | led the Lions with a career-high 19 points vs. Duquesne. He has produced and then topped career highs twice this season. Thorpe leads the team and is seventh in the Big Ten with 86 percent free-throw shooting (among players with at least 20 attempts). He is 42-49 from the line, including a personal-best 11-14 showing vs. the Dukes.
Ross Travis | is second in the Big Ten in rebounding with 7.9 per game after leading the team in each of the last four games and eight this season. In the last four games, he's grabbed an average of 8.8 per game. Travis is 12th all-time at Penn State and with his career average produced this season, will end up in the Top 3.