| PENN STATE (5-3) vs. CANISIUS (3-4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Dec. 9, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's basketball program will return to Rec Hall for each of its next two games, beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday against Canisius. Tickets for the public and students remain and can be purchased by visiting the Ticket Account Manager, calling 1-800-NITTANY or on the day of the game from the Rec Hall Ticket Office.
STORYLINES
- Penn State (5-3) returns to Rec Hall - the Nittany Lions' home from 1929-96 - for two games this week, hosting Canisius (7 p.m., Thursday) and Louisiana-Monroe (2 p.m., Saturday). The contests also are part of the on-campus games of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic. Penn State will play Colorado and either SMU or Kent State Dec. 22 and 23 in Las Vegas.
- The Nittany Lions will be wearing pink and black jerseys for a Throwback Thursday game vs. Canisius. The color pairing was the original Penn State palette, beginning in 1887 and lasting just 2.5 years, before Blue and White were adopted
- The Lions have won three of their last four games, coming off a loss to George Washington (76-66) Tuesday night in D.C., while the Griffs enter Thursday after dropping three of their last four.
- Penn State is halfway through a stretch of four games in seven days before having six days off from comeptition for finals week.
- Three Nittany Lions are averaging in double-figures in scoring: Shep Garner (16.4), Brandon Taylor (15.9 ppg) and Payton Banks (11.1) with Garner also leading in assists (3.3) and steals (1.9), and Taylor controlling the boards (6.4).
PROMO PLANS
- Pink and Black - The Nittany Lions will be wearing throwback uniforms Thursday night with students receiving a FREE pink and black Penn State basketball shirt to honor the occasion.
- Steve Jones "Voice of the Nittany Lions" Microphones will be given away while supplies last. With the flip of a switch, the microphone replays some of Steve Jones' radio calls.
- The National Champion women's soccer team will be honored at halftime of the game Thursday. The Nittany Lions defeated Duke 1-0 on Sunday to capture the program's first national title.
THE MATCHUP
SCOUTING CANISIUS
- The Golden Griffins enter Thursday night with a 3-4 record after a 78-76 setback to Quinnipiac Saturday night at home. They have playd two true road games to date, falling to Hofstra, 96-85, and Buffalo, 98-96 in overtime.
- Five players are averaging in double figures for Canisius, who produced 87.3 points per game as a team, a scoring offensive which is ranked 11th in NCAA Division I. They also are in the top-15 nationally in 3-pointers per game, averaging 10.4 per game on 34.9 percent shooting.
- Malcolm McMillan is scoring 21.3 points per game, No. 20 in DI, while also leading the team in assists with 4.1 per game. Nearly 58 percent of the team's total field goals are assisted with McMillan as one of five players to have 10 or more assists on the season.
SERIES HISTORY
- The teams have met just twice in program history, in the third-place game of the 1995 NIT and in the second game of the regular season in 2007.
- The Nittany Lions have captured both, with the 2007 game standing as the eight-largest margin of victory in program history (+53) and the largest since 1953.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS VS. CANISIUS
Record: 2-0; H: 1-0; A: 0-0; N: 1-0
| 3/29/1995 | H | 66 | 62 | W-NIT |
| 11/16/2007 | H | 93 | 40 | W |
LAST TIME VS. CANISIUS
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Nov. 16, 2007) - Geary Claxton had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Penn State hit 13 3-pointers in a 93-40 win against Canisius on Friday night. Danny Morrissey scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers, for Penn State (2-0) and Mike Walker added 11 points. Freshman forward Elton Frazier, who scored 13 points, was the lone highlight for Canisius (0-2), which shot only 26.3 percent from the field. Penn State shot 37.1 percent (13-for-35) from 3-point range. Claxton, who recorded his 19th career double-double, helped fuel a 22-7 Penn State (2-0) run to open the game. Canisius hit 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions late in the first half to narrow the lead to 15 at 5:01 before the Nittany Lions pulled away.
UP NEXT
Penn State will #ReturntoRec once more on Dec. 12 against Louisiana-Monroe at 2 p.m. on Big Ten Network, as part of the on-campus games of the Las Vegas Classic. The Nittany Lions will then have six days off from competition for finals week, returning to action Dec. 19 at Drexel in the Palestra before traveling on to Vegas for the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic with games against Colorado and either SMU or Kent State.