UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team continues its homestand with a 7 p.m. tipoff vs. Jacksonville State Monday, Nov. 12 in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Monday's game is the second of two home games in the U.S. Regional of the Cancun Challenge. This is the first meeting between Jacksonville State and Penn State. The Nittany Lions are 3-0 against teams from the Ohio Valley Conference.
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Jason Horowitz (pxp) & Stephen Bardo (analyst)
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network
Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
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LIVE STATS: Jacksonville State at Penn State
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ROSTER: Penn State | Jacksonville State
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Jacksonville State
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Jacksonville State
MEDIA GUIDE: Penn State
JACKSONVILLE STATE GAMECOCKS
Coach: Ray Harper (Kentucky Wesleyan, 1985)
JSU Record: 43-29 (3rd season)
Career Record: 474-176 (20th season)
2018-19 Record: 0-1, 0-0 Ohio Valley
2018-19 Leading Scorer
#14 Jason Burnell, Sr., F - 16 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder
#14 Jason Burnell, Sr., F - 8 rpg.
2018-19 Assists Leader
#14 Jason Burnell, Sr., F - 3 assists
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 114-122 (8th season)
Career Record: 156-150 (10th season)
2018-19 Leading Scorer:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F - 22.0 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F - 10.0 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader:
#13 Rasir Bolton, Fr., G - 6 assists
PENN STATE PROBABLE STARTERS
F -- 11 -- Lamar Stevens – Jr. | 2018-19 ppg: 22.0 | rpg: 10.0
Note: Dbl-dbl at 22 pts/10 reb vs. UNF, 8-8 FT
F -- 21 -- John Harrar – So. | 2018-19 ppg: 7.0 | rpg: 7.0
Note: 7 pts, 5 rebs in 12 min in 2H vs. UNF
G – 2 -- Myles Dread -- Fr. | 2018-19 ppg: 17.0 | rpg: 2.0
Note:17 pts in PS debut vs. UNF, 6-10 FG, 4-8 3FG
G – 5 -- Jamari Wheeler -- So. | 2018-19 ppg: 3.0 | rpg: 3.0 | apg 3.0
Note: 3 pts, 3 reb, 3 assists vs. UNF
G – 23 -- Josh Reaves -- Sr. | 2018-19 ppg: 19.0 | rpg: 3.0 | apg: 4.0 | spg 4.0
Note: 19 pts (14 in 2H) 3 of 4 steals in 29 seconds
U.S. REGIONAL OF CANCUN CHALLENGE
Monday's game is the second of the two U.S. regional games in the Cancun Challenge. Following a trip to DePaul on Thursday, Nov. 15 in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, the Nittany Lions travel to Mexico to compete in the Riviera Division bracket.
Penn State's trip to Cancun will be the first time the Nittany Lions will play in Mexico and its first in-season international trip since a trip to Puerto Rico early in the 2012-13 season.
U.S. Regional (University Park, Pa.)
Nov. 9 – UNF vs. Penn State, W 87-72
Nov. 12 – Jacksonville St. vs. Penn State
Riviera Division Bracket
CBS Sports Network
Nov. 20 – Wright State vs. Penn State
Nov. 21 – Bradley/SMU vs. Penn State
SERIES RECORD vs. JACKSONVILLE STATE
This is the first-ever meeting between Penn State and Jacksonville State. The Nittany Lions own a 3-0 record against teams from the Ohio Valley Conference. Jacksonville State is 1-3 against teams in the Big Ten, with a loss to Maryland in 2016-2017.
OPENING NIGHT NOTES
With Friday's win over North Florida, Penn State has now won its last 13 of its last 14 season openers and seven of eight under Patrick Chambers.
The Nittany Lions topped the previous high point total in openers in the Chambers era -- 86 vs. Campbell in 2016-2017 -- with 87 vs. UNF.
Penn State's 47.4 shooting from the field and 17 assists vs. UNF were also high marks in the eight season openers under coach Patrick Chambers.
Three consecutive steals by Josh Reaves sparked an 8-0 Nittany Lion run midway through the first half vs. UNF.
Prior to Myles Dread (17 points) and Rasir Bolton (13 points) debut Friday, the last time two Nittany Lions with freshman eligibility had double-digit scoring in the season opener was in 2016-17 when three rookies scored 10 plus: Tony Carr (14), Lamar Stevens (10) and Mike Watkins (10).
Freshman Rasir Bolton had six assists with his 13 points off the bench (3-5 FG, 2-3 3-FG).
LAST TIME OUT – OPENING-NIGHT WIN VS. UNF
The Nittany Lions continued their winning ways with an 87-72 season-opening win over North Florida in the Bryce Jordan Center, led by junior forward Lamar Stevens' double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Penn State scored 87 points vs. the Ospreys, the highest total in a season opener in the Chambers era, topping the old mark of 86, set in 2016-2017 vs. Campbell.
Four Nittany Lions posted double figures in scoring with Stevens with the game-high 22, 19 from Josh Reaves, and 17 and 13, respectively, from freshmen Myles Dread and Rasir Bolton. Stevens had 18 in the first half and was a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line.
Penn State held a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half with eight players listed in the final box score.
North Florida averaged nearly 11 3-pointers per game in 2016-17 and had eight against Dayton in its opener, but started the contest 0-19 from behind the arc before hitting five of its last eight attempts.
The two teams battled to four ties through the first nine minutes of the first half before Reaves had three-straight steals in 28 seconds to give the Nittany Lions a six-point lead. Reaves found Dread for a 3-pointer in the right corner, passed to Buttrick on the second and then scored on fast break on the third of his four steals on the night.
The Nittany Lions took a 40-28 advantage into the locker room.
Noah Horchler had a double-double for North Florida with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Garrett Sams led the Ospreys with 16 points.
The 2018 National Invitation Tournament banner was unveiled in pregame ceremonies.
GAVITT GAMES, THE SEQUEL
The Nittany Lions will participate in their second Gavitt Tipoff Games series on Thursday, Nov. 15 at DePaul. Penn State and DePaul were paired in the inaugural Gavitt Tipoff Games in 2015.
The unique series between the two conferences was named to honor the late Dave Gavitt, the founder of the Big East Conference and basketball visionary. Gavitt had a profound and lasting influence on the sport of basketball on the collegiate, professional and Olympic levels and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
BY THE NUMBERS
6 – The Nittany Lions's six-game win streak is currently the second-longest in the nation behind only Villanova (13).
7 – ESPN.com released its list of coaches who excel at developing talent with Patrick Chambers ranked in the No. 7 spot. The rankings were compiled from player improvement data from 2010-18.
16 – Junior forward Lamar Stevens recorded his 16th game with 20 or more points with 22 vs. UNF.
17 – Myles Dread's 17 points is tied for the most by a Nittany Lion freshman in a season opener in Penn State's Big Ten era.
52 – Thirty-one individual and 21 team records, as well as a 23-year-old Big Ten individual record, were broken during the 2017-18 campaign.
87 – Penn State's 87 points vs. UNF were the most in a season opener in the coach Patrick Chambers era and most since 2000-01 (87).
114 – Coach Patrick Chambers has 114 wins at Penn State, tying him with Ed DeChellis (114, 8 years) and closing in on the total of Jerry Dunn (117, 8 years).
