Nov. 23, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Head coach Patrick Chambers wants the young Nittany Lions on the roster to learn from their experience at Duquesne on Friday night, but the previous game is an afterthought.
The Lions are focused on what is ahead and how they can continue to grow as the season rolls into its third week on Tuesday when Penn State (2-1) hosts Radford (3-2) inside the Bryce Jordan Center (6 p.m. on BTN). The clash with the Highlanders kicks off two-straight at home for the Blue and White.
"We had a great film session. We had a great day yesterday. Guys competed hard," Chambers said. "Guys were angry. Guys were disappointed. They were mad. And that's what I wanted to see. I wanted to see how they would respond. And hopefully we will respond that way tomorrow."
With the youth in the Penn State rotation, Chambers knows the season will be a process. The team will continue to grow as the rotation gets more experience in game situations. As Chambers said on Monday, the Nittany Lions took a blow for the first time on road at Duquesne on Friday when the Dukes buried 17 3-pointers. Now, it's up to the young players to learn from the experience and grow against Radford.
"We just have to continue to fight and continue to get better," Chambers said. "We need to continue to get these younger guys more significant minutes where they feel more comfortable."
Radford's early schedule was highlighted by an 82-80 double overtime win at Georgetown. The Highlanders also defeated Catawba (68-60) and Prairie View A&M (64-56), with losses coming at the hands of VCU (92-74) and Siena (76-62). Senior guard Rashun Davis is Radford's leading scorer at 14.6 ppg and six assists. The Highlanders have 10 players averaging more than 15 minutes per game.