Nov. 26, 2016
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Redshirt freshman Mike Watkins scored a career-high 20 points and added eight rebounds and four blocks to lead Penn State to a 74-68 victory at George Washington on Saturday.
Fellow freshman Lamar Stevens had 18 points for the Nittany Lions (4-3), who erased a nine-point halftime deficit. Freshman Tony Carr had 12 points and junior Shep Garner added 10 points for Penn State, which shot 50 percent in the second half.
George Washington committed 15 turnovers, leading to 14 Penn State points. It also struggled from the perimeter, shooting 5 of 24 on its 3-point attempts.
The Colonials (3-3) played without junior guard Yuta Watanabe, who sat out with a lower leg injury. Watanabe's 13.4 points per game rank second on the team.
Senior forward Tyler Cavanaugh had 15 points, all in the second half, for George Washington. Cavanaugh, who averages 18.8 points, picked up two fouls and was limited to eight minutes in the first half.
Junior Jaren Sina scored 13 points, sophomore Jordan Roland matched a career-high with 11 points and freshman Collin Smith tied his career-best with 11 points and four blocks.
BIG PICTURE
Penn State: The Nittany Lions climbed above .500 with a victory in their first true road game of the season while avenging a 76-66 loss at George Washington last season.
George Washington: After a promising start under interim coach Maurice Joseph, the Colonials have dropped three in a row after falling to Georgia and UAB in the CBE Classic earlier in the week.
UP NEXT
Penn State plays host to Georgia Tech on Tuesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Nittany Lions have won games in the event the last two years.
George Washington looks for its first victory away from home this season when it visits Harvard on Tuesday.