Nov. 16, 2017
November 16, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's basketball team completes its four-game homestand on Friday, November 17 with a 7 p.m. tip time against the Columbia Lions.
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OPENING TIP
Penn State will be wearing its original school colors, pink and black, for Friday night's game against Columbia.
STARTING OFF
Penn State enters the contest with a 3-0 record, its first 3-0 start since the 2011-2012 season; Coach Chambers' first in University Park.
THE HOMESTAND
Penn State started the 2017-18 season with four homes games over the span of eight days - all at the Bryce Jordan Center. This opening homestand is the longest in coach Patrick Chambers' tenure -- previously three to tipoff the 2011-12 season -- and matches Penn State's four-game long homestand to open the 2010-11 campaign.
The Nittany Lions started 2-0 with wins over Campbell (86-75), scoring the most points in a season opener since the 2000-01 campaign, and Fairleigh Dickinson, notable for Penn State as it broke the BJC record for steals in an individual men's game with 18. The Nittany Lions defeated Montana as part of the Progressive Legends Classic University Park Regional to improve their record to 3-0.
The next game in the Progressive Legends Classic University Park Regional takes place on Friday, Nov. 24 vs. Oral Roberts.
COLUMBIA ON SEVEN-GAME "ROADSTAND"
Columbia treks to Penn State for its third game of a seven-game "roadstand" with a season-opening loss at No. 6 Villanova (11-10) and win at Longwood (11-14). Sophomore guard Mike Smith averages 20.5 points per game and junior forward Lukas Meisner is the leader on the boards with 8.5 per game.
The Lions tied a program record with 16 three-pointers in the 87-77 win over the Longwood Lancers.
THE SERIES VS. COLUMBIA
Penn State and Columbia are meeting for the first time since 1993. The series is tied at four games apiece with the Nittany Lions winning the last four games. Columbia won the first game in the series in 1909 by a score of 19-13.
QUOTING CHAMBERS
After his Nittany Lion team held off a talented Montana team for a 13-point win, coach Patrick Chambers said in the postgame press conference, "I learned (tonight) that we have some tough kids who believe in what we're doing. They believe in one another, they believe in what the staff's doing. There's a lot of trust we're building here."
HOLDING OPPONENTS UNDER 60 POINTS
Fairleigh Dickinson and Montana were both held to a total of 57 points by the defensive-minded Nittany Lions. The 2015-16 season was the last time Penn State allowed less than 60 points to consecutive opponents against Bucknell (58) and Boston College (58). It was the lowest point total by Montana since February 27, 2016 (54).
Penn State was 11-0 in 2016-17 when keeping its opponents below 70 points and all six Big Ten wins came when opponents were kept at or below 70 with two teams held under 60 points.
GARNER CRACKS TOP 20
Shep Garner finished his junior season with 1,183 career points and moved into sole possession of the No. 20 spot Friday against Campbell with eight points and added 12 more points versus the Grizzlies for 1,203. Monroe Brown (1988-92) is currently 19th with 1,244 career points.
GARNER FOR THREEEEEEE….
Senior guard Shep Garner connected on four three-pointers against Montana to give the Lions a little breathing room against Montana Wednesday night. Now with 222 career treys, Garner is fourth on Penn State's all-time list for threes, moving ahead of Danny Morrissey (2005-09).
SWAT-KINS PLUS FOUR
Mike Watkins added four blocked shots for a total of 97 in 35 career games. Carvin Jefferson (1976-79) ranks in seventh place ahead of Watkins with 99 on the Penn State list with Donovan Jack (2013-16) at sixth with 100.
KING WHEELER
Freshman Jamari Wheeler reached a career high with 17 minutes of playing time against Montana. Coach Patrick Chambers commented that Wheeler brings "great pace and great speed… and did a really good job on both ends of the floor" Wednesday night. Wheeler was a disruptive force against the Grizzlies and had a career-best three assists and two rebounds.
STAYING ON TOP
Mike Watkins not only set the Penn State freshman mark for rebounds, he also claimed the top spot for career field goal percentage at 59.0 percent. Watkins is 9-13 from the field so far this year (69.2) and now at 59.5 percent in his career.
MINUTE BY MINUTE
An injury at the end of 2016-17 sidelined sophomore guard Nazeer Bostick for the remainder of the season, just as his minutes on the floor were increasing. He provided some spark as the first off the bench in both the Campbell (14 min) and Fairleigh Dickinson games (20 min). He scored four points with two rebounds and two steals against the Camels and had a career-best 12 points against FDU. The Philadelphia, Pa., native played a career-high 22 minutes against Montana.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Friday's game against Columbia is the final game of this opening four-game homestand. For its first road trip of the season, Penn State heads to the Barclays Center for the championship rounds of the Legends Classic. The Nittany Lions face Pittsburgh Monday, Nov. 20 in a 9:30 p.m. game on ESPN3 and will meet either Oklahoma State or Texas A&M on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Check GoPSUsports.com for updates on the game time and opponent.
TICKETS
Tickets are available for Penn State home games, including Friday's contest vs. Columbia. Visit gopsusports.com/tickets/m-baskbl-tickets.html for more information.
PENN STATE SPORTS NETWORK
More than 40 radio stations in Pennsylvania and New York will carry Nittany Lion Basketball games during the 2017-18 season. Radio announcer Steve Jones, in his 36th year with Penn State, will handle the play-by-play with USBWA Hall of Famer Dick Jerardi of the Philadelphia Daily News serving as analyst. Broadcasts begin 30 minutes prior to tip-off with the "Penn State Bookstore Pregame Show." Broadcasts conclude with the PA Propane Association Postgame Show post-game show featuring coach and player interviews, game statistics and scores from around the nation.
Broadcasts are also available on SiriusXM with specific channels for each game announced in game notes.
THE PENN STATE COACHES SHOW PRESENTED BY PEPSI
"The Penn State Coaches Show -- Featuring Pat Chambers and Presented by Pepsi" with Steve Jones and Roger Corey, airs live from Primanti Brothers in State College Thursday nights from 6:05-7:00 pm beginning November 30, 2017, and ending in early March. "The Penn State Coaches Show" and game broadcasts can also be heard for free via www.GoPSUsports.com/lionvision. The Penn State Sports Network is syndicated by Penn State Sports Properties, a property of Learfield.