UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team continued its winning ways with an 87-72 opening-night win over North Florida. The Nittany Lions, led by junior forward Lamar Stevens' double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, extended their win streak to six games with the victory at the Bryce Jordan Center.
"Obviously 87 points is fantastic, but we still have a lot of work to do," said Penn State men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers. "It is November 9th and we have to get a heck of a lot better. It is Friday and we will get a little bit better tomorrow, a little bit better Sunday, and be ready to go for Monday night."
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 coming from senior guard Josh Reaves, and 17 and 13, respectively, from freshmen guards Myles Dread and Rasir Bolton. Stevens scored 18 of his 22 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. All seven of sophomore forward John Harrar's points came in the second half and he finished the night with seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Trent Buttrick had a career-best three blocked shots and Bolton had six assists to go along with his 13 points in his first game as a Nittany Lion.
North Florida averaged nearly 11 3-pointers per game in 2016-17 and had eight against Dayton Wednesday night, but started Friday's 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 after a 9-0 run gave them a 10-point lead off a Dread 3-pointer and six free throws by Stevens. Bolton's trey with 2:05 left in the first half gave Penn State it's largest lead of the period at 39-26.
Noah Horchler had a double-double for North Florida with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Garrett Sams led the Ospreys with 16 points. Ezekiel Balogun hit North Florida's first two 3-pointers, the first coming midway through the second period, and finished with 10 points.
The 2018 National Invitation Tournament banner was unveiled in pregame ceremonies with Nittany Lion forward Julian Moore '17,'18 addressing the crowd and a special pre-recorded video message from Shep Garner, who is currently with his Grand Rapids Drive team. Garner's mother, Kim Garner, sang the national anthem prior to the game.
Penn State plays host to Jacksonville State Monday, Nov. 12 for the second of the two games in the U.S. Regional of the Cancun Challenge. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
For information or to purchase Penn State men's basketball single-game tickets, fans should go to gopsusports.com/tickets/psu-tickets.html or call 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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.
Nittany Lions Continue Winning Ways With Opening Night Victory
Opens in a new window PDF Box Score vs. North Florida 11-9-2018 Opens in a new window Coach Patrick Chambers Postgame Press Conference Opens in a new window Postgame Quotes: Patrick Chambers Opens in a new window Junior F Lamar Stevens Postgame Press Conference Opens in a new window Postgame Quotes: Lamar Stevens Opens in a new window Postgame Quotes: North Florida Head Coach Matt Driscoll Opens in a new window Postgame Notes | North Florida Opens in a new window Interview with Julian Moore