| PENN STATE (2-1) vs. RADFORD (3-2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Nov. 23, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's basketball team returns home to the Bryce Jordan Center for a pair of contests during Thanksgiving week, beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Radford. The game will be shown live on Big Ten Network with Josh Lewin and Bob Wenzel calling the action, in addition to being available on the Penn State Sports Network, locally and online.
The Nittany Lions are coming off their first loss of the year, falling to Duquesne Friday night at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The decision ended a 12-game non-conference winning streak for Penn State.
Brandon Taylor (16.3 ppg), Shep Garner (14.3) and Payton Banks (11.3) are all averaging in double-figures through three games, while Julian Moore is the leading rebounder, coming off the bench to grab 6.0 boards per game.
THREE-POINTERS
- This is the second meeting all-time between Penn State and Radford. The schools faced each other in the second game of the 2011-12 season, the first at the helm of their respective programs for both teams' head coaches.
- In the game immediately preceding Thanksgiving, Penn State has won 10 of its last 11 contests dating back to 2003. The lone loss came in the 2012 at the Puerto Rico Tip-off against Akron.
- Penn State has won each of its last 13 non-conference home games played in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Lions' loss at Duquesne ended a 12-game winning streak in non-league play.
PROMO PLANS
- DOLLAR DOG NIGHT
- Anthem: Bald Eagle HS Band
SCOUTING RADFORD
Radford is off a 3-2 start to its season, which began with an 82-80 double-overtime victory against Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The Highlanders have split their games since, most recently defeated Prairie View A&M, 64-56, Saturday in the consolation game of the 2K Classic subregional at Bryant University.
The Highlanders are averaging 70.0 point per game off 42 percent shooting. Two players are scoring in double-figures through five games, led by Rashun Davis' 14.6 ppg and 6.0 apg. Cameron Jones has put up 10.6 ppg, while Ed Polite Jr. is the leading rebounder with the 6.2 boards per appearance.
In the 82-80 win over the Hoyas, Davis hit 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left in double overtime for the Radford victory, finishing with 28 points. The Highlanders shot 54 percent from the field in OT and 44 percent for the game.
| TALE OF THE TAPE | LEADERS | |||||
| PSU | Stat (15-16) | RU | PSU | RU | ||
| 60.7 | Points Per Game | 70.0 | Points | Brandon Taylor: 16.3 | Rashun Davis: 14.6 | |
| 53.3 | Opponent Points Per Game | 72.8 | Rebounds | Julian Moore: 6.0 | Ed Polite Jr.: 6.2 | |
| 37.2 | Field-Goal Percentage | 41.9 | Assists | Shep Garner: 2.0 | Rashun Daivs: 6.0 | |
| 41.7 | Opponent Field-Goal Percentage | 42.4 | Blocks | Jordan Dickerson: 1.7 | Three w/ 1.0 | |
| 6.7 | 3-pointers Per Game | 6.4 | Josh Reaves: 1.7 | |||
| 32.8 | 3-point Field Goal Percentage | 30.8 | ||||
| 38.8 | Opponent 3-point Field Goal % | 30.0 | ||||
| 61.8 | Free-Throw Percentage | 61.9 | ||||
| 35.0 | Rebounds Per Game | 38.6 | ||||
| 38.0 | Opponent Rebounds Per Game | 39.0 | ||||
| 7.3 | Assists Per Game | 12.8 | ||||
| 11.0 | Turnovers Per Game | 17.4 | ||||
| 6.3 | Steals Per Game | 7.8 | ||||
| 4.3 | Blocks Per Game | 4.2 |
SERIES HISTORY
Penn State and Radford have met just once previously, in the second game of the 2011-12 season as part of the 2011 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament. The Nittany Lions were victorious in the matchup at the Bryce Jordan Center, paced by a double-double from Tim Frazier. It was the first season at the helm of their respective programs for Patrick Chambers and Radford head coach Mike Jones.
Previous Meetings
| 11/14/2011 | H | 63 | 46 | W |
LAST TIME VS. THE HIGHLANDERS
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Nov. 14, 2011) - Penn State (2-0) cruised past Radford (2-1) at the Bryce Jordan Center, 62-46, behind strong defense and Tim Frazier's (Houston, Texas) second career double-double. The Texas native posted 20 points and a career-high equaling 10 assists to go with six rebounds, three steals and a block in a dominating effort as Penn State won its first game in the 2011 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament. [RECAP]
RADFORD CONNECTION
Penn State assistant coach Ross Condon spent two seasons at Radford as the director of operations before joining Patrick Chambers at Boston University as an assistant coach. Condon spent the 2007-08 and 2008-09 campaigns with the Highlanders.
NON-CONFERENCE WINS
The Nittany Lions have won their last 13 non-conference games in the Bryce Jordan Center, dating back to Nov. 13, 2013, and a 90-80 setback vs. Bucknell. The loss to Duquesne Friday ended a 12-game, non-conference winning streak after closing the pre-Big Ten slate with a 10-consecutive victories last season and beginning the year 2-0.
UP NEXT
Penn State welcomes Bucknell to the BJC at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28 for the second of three games vs. in-state foes. The Lions and Bison have met 102 times, the fourth-longest series among PSU opponents, including matchups in each of the last three seasons. Penn State has won 13 of the last 14 outings in the series, including an 88-80 win last season (Nov. 25, 2014) in the first trip to Lewisburg since 1974.
LAST TIME OUT
Penn State (2-1) fell short to hot-shooting Duquesne (3-0) on the road at the CONSOL Energy Center Friday evening. Senior Brandon Taylor led Penn State with 14 points. Sophomores Payton Banks and Shep Garner added 12 points apiece. The trio of double figure scorers marks the third straight game the Nittany Lions have ahaed at least three with 10 or more points. Penn State led by one with 3:14 remaining in the first half by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers. The Dukes answered with a 12-0 run to close the half and did not relinquish the lead. [RECAP]
SEASON OPENERS
Penn State has won its last 11 season openers dating to 2005, including all five under Patrick Chambers. The Lions are 89-30 overall in season openers and 79-10 in home season openers.
Under Chambers:
| 11/14/15 | vs. VMI | W, 62-50 |
| 11/14/14 | vs. Morgan State | W, 61-48 |
| 11/9/13 | vs. Wagner | W, 74-62 |
| 11/9/12 | vs. St. Francis (Pa.) | W, 65-58 |
| 11/12/11 | vs. Hartford | W, 70-55 |
| SEASON NOTES |
CHAMBERS TAKES ON YEAR FIVE
The 2015-16 season marks the fifth year at the helm of the Nittany Lions for head coach Patrick Chambers. The Philly native is coming off his best season in University Park after posting a win total (18) that had been topped just twice in the last decade and four times since 2000. Chambers has seen his overall win total climb each of the last three years and has continued to make waves in Big Ten play.
SUITS AND SNEAKERS
Head coach Patrick Chambers will don suits and sneakers for every game during the 2015-16, in honor of the 20th season of Coaches vs. Cancer - Penn State. The school's chapter of CVC is consistently ranks among the Top 10 CVC organizations in the nation. It was started in 1995 under then head coach Bruce Parkhill and raises funds to support the American Cancer Society as well as the Bob Perks Fund (BPF), a local initiative that provides direct support for community members and families fighting cancer. Coaches vs. Cancer - Penn State has raised nearly $2.5 million to date through a series of year-round events. To get involved please visit CVCPENNSTATE.ORG or call 814-234-1023.
FACILITY UPGRADES
The Penn State basketball program recently moved into new training table and video room facilities in the Bryce Jordan Center. The $1.2 million project was propelled by a generous gift from Peter and Ann Tombros and allows the Nittany Lions to utilize state of the art technologies. The concourse of the BJC also got a makeover in the offseason, and features Nittany and Lady Lion basketball graphics surrounding the circumference, as well at the main entrances.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
A pair of four-year players -- Brandon Taylor and Donovon Jack -- combined with Jordan Dickerson, who has played a year and a half in Happy Valley, and Devin Foster, who joined the Lions last year, make up the 2015-16 senior class. Taylor and Jack have been a part of 44 wins in their first three years, the most since the 2011-12 class entered its final year with 57 victories.
ROOKIE RECOGNITION
The freshman class of Josh Reaves, Mike Watkins and Deividas Zemgulis make up the most heralded group to sign at Penn State to date. The trio was rated as the No. 28 class in the nation by 247 Sports, marking the first Top 30 group to join the Nittany Lions. Both four-star players, Reaves and Watkins were each ranked among the Top 100 players in the country by ESPN with Reaves holding the No. 81 spot and Watkins coming in at No. 89 at the time of their signing. Zemgulis was a three-star recruit and a Top 12 prospect from Maryland.
LIONS GAIN UCONN TRANSFER
Terrence Samuel joined the Nittany Lions in July after playing two years at the University of Connecticut. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining after sitting out the 2015-16 campaign to satisfy NCAA transfer rules. A member of the Huskies' 2014 NCAA Championship team, Samuel saw action in 65 career games with eight starts as a sophomore. He averaged 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in his second season in Storrs with career averages of 3.0 ppg and 1.7 rpg.
BLOCK PARTY
The Nittany Lions have a total of three players in the Penn State Top 10 in the blocks category. Donovon Jack and Jordan Dickerson are tied at No. 8 with 82 career blocks, while Brandon Taylor is 10th with 74. Jack and Dickerson also share the No. 8 position in single-season blocks with 53 after putting up the total in 2013-14 and 2014-15, respectively. It was the first time Penn State had a player produce more than 50 blocks in back-to-back seasons since 1998 and 1999 when Calvin Booth did so.
RETURN TO REC ... TIMES TWO
Penn State's non-conference schedule is highlighted by two games to be played in historic Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions will take on Canisius and Louisiana-Monroe Dec. 10 and 12, respectively, as part of the second Return to Rec. Penn State last played in Rec Hall during the 2013-14 season in a Return to Rec event that marked the first men's basketball game played there since the Nittany Lions defeated Wisconsin, 79-50, in the building on Jan. 7, 1996. From 1926-96, the Lions compiled a stellar 514-183 (73.7%) record in Rec Hall, including a 45-game win streak from 1951-55.
PSU TAKES NYC
The Nittany Lion basketball and men's hockey programs will take over Madison Square Garden Jan. 30 in the first Big Ten Super Saturday - Hoops and Hockey doubleheader. The teams will both take on Michigan with tip slated for noon and puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m., both on Big Ten Network. in the first of four annual events at "The World's Most Famous Arena," which also will host the 2018 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Feb. 28-March 4 of that year. Big Ten men's basketball and hockey programs will play regular-season games at Madison Square Garden in late January or early February in 2016 through 2019.
LAS VEGAS CLASSIC
Penn State will take part in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic Dec. 22-23 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Nittany Lions will open action by taking on Colorado at 10:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 22. The winner of the Penn State-Colorado game will play the winner of the SMU vs. Kent State matchup at 10:30 p.m. ET Dec. 23 on FoxSports1. The losers in each game will play each other at 8 p.m. ET, also on FoxSports1. Each team will play four games in the Classic -- the first two at on-campus sites and the final two rounds at the Orleans Arena. Penn State's two games are vs. Canisus and Louisiana-Monroe in the Return to Rec series.
STAFF CHANGES
Head coach Patrick Chambers announced a series of staff changes in the offseason, beginning with the move by Ross Condon from director of operations to assistant coach in wake of the departure of Brian Daly. David Caporaletti, who previously spent four seasons as the director of on-campus recruiting, filled Condon's former post. Nicholas Colella then moved into the recruiting role and graduate managers Evann Baker and Kevin Hacke were added to the mix.
NCAA ANNIVERSARIES
The 2015-16 marks significant anniversaries for each of the last four NCAA tournament appearances by the Nittany Lions.
| 2011 | NCAA First Round | 5 Years |
| 2001 | Sweet Sixteen | 15 Years |
| 1996 | NCAA First Round | 20 Years |
| 1991 | NCAA Second Round | 25 Years |
TWENTY SEASONS IN THE BJC
The 2015-16 campaign will be the 20th season in the Bryce Jordan Center. Since opening its doors to basketball Jan. 7, 1996, with a 79-50 win over Wisconsin, the BJC has hosted 316 Nittany Lion games with the team holding a winning percentage of 61.1 in those contests. Penn State has won at least 10 home games in four of the last five seasons.
120TH SEASON PENN STATE BASKETBALL
The Nittany Lions embark on the 120th season of basketball at Penn State and their 25th as a member of the Big Ten in 2015-16. The Lions began play in 1897 with a pair of contests vs. Bucknell, who they will face for the fourth-consecutive season and the 102nd time overall. Penn State has made 13 postseason appearances in the last 27 years (4 NCAA, 8 NIT, 1 CBI) and a total of 20 (9 NCAA, 10 NIT, 1 CBI) overall.