March 11, 2015
CHICAGO - Behind 45 combined points from the guard tandem of D.J. Newbill and Shep Garner and a tournament-record 16 blocked shots, the Nittany Lion basketball team (17-15, 4-14 Big Ten) marched past Nebraska (13-18, 5-13) in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament inside United Center on Wednesday.
The backcourt duo was spectacular in the second half, nailing five 3-pointers to lead the Nittany Lions to their first win in the postseason tournament since a run to the championship game in 2011. Now, Penn State is set for a date with No. 5-seeded Iowa in the second round on Friday at 2:30 p.m. (BTN).
"We are a great basketball team, not just an average basketball team, we are a great basketball team when they (make shots like that)," head coach Patrick Chambers said. "I think we are peaking at a really good point here. We have a tough team tomorrow, but to be able to see us move on and take the next step on the bracket is great for these seniors."
Wednesday's game appeared to be on track for a comfortable win when the Nittany Lions went on a tear in the early stages of the second half. Garner and Newbill accounted for 13 points during a 14-1 scoring run, which put Penn State up, 51-35, with 15:52 to play. But by no means was the stretch run an easy one.
Nebraska answered the Nittany Lion run with a 14-0 surge to pull within two before Garner nailed his third triple of the second half to put the Lions up 54-49 with 9:28 to play. Penn State led by eight (59-51) with 7:54 to go, but the Huskers weren't done. The score got as close as one on two occasions in the final 3:30, including once with 42.7 seconds to play.
"The mindset was, we just needed to do whatever was necessary to get the win," Garner said. "We needed to be tough, whatever we had to do to win. We made plays."
Geno Thorpe sank two free throws with 4.2 seconds to play, icing the 68-65 victory. And it was Penn State's defense down the stretch that handed the Nittany Lions a victory. Nebraska went 2-for-13 to finish the game, and the Lions will fight to see another day.
"We have been in so many close games this year, and these guys earned the right to come out on top," Chambers said.
"It feels good, you know, my last year, I'm not ready to be done," Newbill said. "Everybody in this locker room is not ready to go home either. From our coaches to our players, we want more basketball."
Newbill's wish will come true on Friday, as the Nittany Lions shift focus towards Iowa. The Nittany Lions dropped a narrow 81-77 game to the Hawkeyes in the Bryce Jordan Center on Feb. 28, a game the All-Big Ten guard still has on his mind.
"They executed down the stretch," Newbill said. "I had a key turnover late in the game to get them free throws to put them up by a larger margin...They play hard. Iowa is a great team. And we have to play harder than them (tomorrow)."
"Iowa is big. They've got really good shooters, really good scorers," Chambers said. "Aaron White, first team, Allâ?`Big Ten, what an incredible accomplishment for him and what he's done there. He's all over the record books. But we've got to go out and play Penn State basketball for 40 minutes, give ourselves a chance.
The Nittany Lions will have a quick turnaround before Thursday's afternoon tip, but Chambers and the Lions have no doubt they will be ready to go.
"We're going to rest up," Chambers said. "We're going to do some cold tubs. We're going to get some treatment. But if you're an 18â?` to 23â?`yearâ?`old kid, come on, they don't want to practice, they want to play games. I feel confident that they'll be ready to play and they'll play with great energy tomorrow."