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December 9, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Five Nittany Lions scored in double figures and redshirt sophomore Mike Watkins had his 10th career double-double as Penn State cruised to a 74-54 win at the Bryce Jordan Center. Sophomore guard Tony Carr led all scorers with 19 points and Watkins had the high rebounds total with 12.
"That was one of the best 20 minutes we have played all season," said Penn State basketball coach Patrick Chambers. "Our defense was great, our energy was great, our competiveness was fantastic. It is nice to see us play that well, but we have to do that every time and that is what I am asking them for."
Penn State never trailed in the contest and had the advantages in the paint (44-20), on the boards (42-25) and in points scored off turnovers (23-13) and second-chance points (14-7).
The Nittany Lions halted the Colonials' three-game winning streak and held George Washington to 21.7 percent shooting from the field in the first half, the lowest by a Penn State opponent, and only 19 points in that period, tying the lowest output of the season.
Watkins had 11 points and nine rebounds by the half, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Carr scored 11 in the second half for his final total, adding six rebounds, four assists and two steals to his stat line. Josh Reaves, the Big Ten leader in total steals and steals per game, contributed 11 points with three steals and three assists.
Senior guard Shep Garner scored 12 points on four three-pointers, crossed the 1,300 career point total with his final basket of the game for 1,301. That figure is good for sole possession of 16th on Penn State's all-time scoring list.
The Nittany Lions shook off Monday's loss with a good week of practice and came out strong with 58.8 percent shooting from the field in the first half to take a 29-point lead at the half. Penn State's 48 points in the first half were the most in the first period this year as four different Nittany Lions scored in the first two and a half minutes for a quick 11-2 lead.
George Washington's top scorers, Yuta Watanabe and Jair Bolden, averaging 14.8 points each, were held to a combined 14 points in the first half. Bolden had all nine of his points in the final 4:16 of the first period. Yuta Watanabe finished the game with 18 points and shared the GW rebounding lead with Arnaldo Toro with six.
Penn State plays next at George Mason on Sunday, December 17 at 4 p.m., before returning home for three nonconference games before the new year.
Tickets are available for all Penn State home men's basketball games including upcoming contests vs. Binghamton (Tuesday, Dec. 19), Rider (Friday, Dec. 22) and Coppin State (Dec. 30). Tipoff time for December 30 has changed to 1 p.m. Visit gopsusports.com/tickets/m-baskbl-tickets.html for more information.
Keep up to date with the latest information from Coach Patrick Chambers and the Nittany Lions on Twitter by following @Coach_Chambers and @PennStateMBB, liking the team's page on Facebook and following the team Instagram account at @PennStateMBB.