Nov. 5, 2017
Final Stats | PSU Photo Gallery
Nov. 5, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa ââ'¬" The Penn State men's basketball team picked up an 84-67 win over Bloomsburg in the Bryce Jordan Center in its final exhibition game of the 2017-18 preseason. The Nittany Lions, playing their second game in as many days, open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 10 versus Campbell.
"I was looking forward to seeing how we'd handle the back-to-back (games)," said Penn State coach Patrick Chambers. "I thought we played in spurts; we did some good things. Some things (we need) to build on and things we need to get better at, but dress rehearsal is over. We're looking forward to this week and Friday."
Penn State shot 62.5 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes and built a 19-point halftime lead over the Huskies with a 9-0 run over the final 3:25 of the first half. The Nittany Lions were 9-13 for a scorching 69.2 field goal percentage in the first eight minutes of the game and converted nine Bloomsburg miscues into 15 points.
Senior guard Shep Garner had 17 points against the Huskies and added two assists, a block and a steal to his stat line. Lamar Stevens finished the game with 15 points, two blocked shots and a game-high eight rebounds. Five Nittany Lions in total had double-figure scoring days with 11 apiece coming from sophomore guards Nazeer Bostick and Tony Carr and 10 from junior forward Josh Reaves.
For the second-straight game, the Nittany Lions held the advantage on the boards, 41-31. Carr and Reaves each had seven rebounds behind Stevens with Reaves snapping up six steals. All three of Bostick's steals led to scores on the other end with two dunks, a three-point play off a layup.
The Nittany Lions open the 2017-18 season Friday, Nov. 10 against Campbell with a 4 p.m. tip time to start Penn State's homecoming weekend activities.
Season tickets are available for all 18 home games at the Bryce Jordan Center. Deposits for new 2017-18 Penn State men's basketball season tickets can be made by calling 1-800-NITTANY weekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Eastern time, at the Athletic Ticket Office in the Bryce Jordan Center from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. weekdays, or by visiting gopsusports.com/tickets/m-baskbl-tickets.html.
Keep up to date with the latest information from Coach Chambers and the Nittany Lions on Twitter by following @Coach_Chambers and @PennStateMBB, on Facebook and Instagram at @PennStateMBB.
NOTES: Today's meeting between Penn State and Bloomsburg was the first since December 1981…For the second-straight year, the Nittany Lions will be the first Big Ten team to open the season with a 4 p.m. tipoff time Friday, Nov. 10…Penn State plays four opponents on the Penn State schedule this year for the first time ever...The Nittany Lions will play back-to-back games in the Legends Classic in the Barclays Center later this month (Nov. 20-21)… Penn State opens with Pitt, then will draw either Oklahoma State or Texas A&M on day two…Penn State and Oklahoma State met twice during the 2005 calendar year… The Nittany Lions and Aggies last played in 1952…The November games mark the first of two trips to New York City as the 2018 Big Ten Tournament will be held in Madison Square Garden Feb. 28-March 4.