UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team hits the road for a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday, Dec. 19 vs. Duquesne. The contest will be played at PPG Paints Arena and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Following a 15-year hiatus, Penn State and Duquesne resumed the series in 2010 and met annually through the 2016-17 season. This is the third time the two programs will play at PPG Paints Arena.
WATCH: CBS Sports Network
Jason Knapp (pxp) & Steve Lappas (analyst)
STREAM: cbssportsnetwork.com
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network
Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
GoPSUsports.com/lionvision | Affiliates
XM 383 | Internet 974
LIVE STATS: Penn State at Duquesne
SOCIAL: Twitter @PennStateMBB & @Coach_Chambers | Facebook | Instagram @PennStateMBB.
ROSTER: Penn State | Duquesne
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Duquesne
STATS: Penn State | Duquesne
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Duquesne | Big Ten
MEDIA GUIDE: Penn State | Duquesne
DUQUESNE DUKES
Coach: Keith Dambrot (Akron, 1982)
Duquesne Record: 24-18 (Second season)
Career Record: 437-227 (21st season)
2018-19 Record: 8-2, 0-0 Atlantic 10
2018-19 Leading Scorer
#21 Michael Hughes, So., C - 13.7 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder
#50 Eric Williams Jr., So., G – 6.6 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader
#35 Sincere Carry, Fr., G - 6.1 apg
Penn State Nittany Lions
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 118-127 (8th season)
Career Record: 160-155 (10th season)
2018-19 Leading Scorer:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F - 19.2 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F - 8.6 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader:
#23 Josh Reaves, Sr., G - 3.4 apg
PENN STATE STARTERS (LAST GAME)
F -- 11 -- Lamar Stevens – Jr. | 2018-19 ppg: 19.2 | rpg: 8.6
Note: #3 scorer in B1G 20th Nittany Lion with 1,000 career points & 500 rebounds
F -- 24 – Mike Watkins – R-Jr. | 2018-19 ppg: 7.2 | rpg: 6.0
Note: Recorded 21st career double-double with 18pts/16rebounds vs Colgate in 1st start of 18-19
G – 2 -- Myles Dread -- Fr. | 2018-19 ppg: 8.0 | rpg: 2.9
Note: 10 starts, 29.6 mpg 4 games in double figures including 12 vs Indiana; 3rd in steals w/13
G – 13 – Rasir Bolton -- Fr. | 2018-19 ppg: 14.7 | rpg: 2.4
Note: 3 starts, 1st vs Indiana; 2 consecutive games w/20+ pts (27 Colgate/25 NCSU)
G – 23 -- Josh Reaves -- Sr. | 2018-19 ppg: 10.4 | rpg: 5.9
Note: B1G steals leader in 2016-17 & 2017-18; Leads B1G in steals & steals per game. Needs 2 for 200 career
SERIES RECORD vs. DUQUESNE
Penn State and Duquesne have played 48 previous times with the Nittany Lions leading the series 28-20. Each of the last three meetings in Pittsburgh (Dec. 10, 2011, Dec. 11, 2013 and Nov. 20, 2015) has been played in the home of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, now known as PPG Paints Arena.
Series streak: Penn State, W1
Last game: Penn State 84, Duquesne 72, 11/13/16
Overall series: Penn State leads 28-20
at Duquesne: Duquesne leads 14-8
Chambers vs. Duquesne: 4-2
STARTING 5
With the fifth of his six rebounds vs. NC State last Saturday, junior forward Lamar Stevens became the 30th Nittany Lion to reach the 500-career rebound milestone and only the 20th with 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.
Senior guard Josh Reaves ranks fourth on the Penn State career chart for steals with 198 and sixth on the NCAA active career list. With two more steals, he becomes the fourth Nittany Lion and 21st Big Ten player to achieve that mark.
Stevens, who leads the Nittany Lions in scoring average, rebounding average and minutes per game, ranks among the top 80 individual nationally in seven NCAA categories and ranks in the top five of six categories in the Big Ten.
Penn State's strength of schedule is ranked No. 25 in the latest kenpom.com chart.
Current Nittany Lion assistant coach Jim Ferry served as the head coach at Duquesne from 2012-2017.
NITTANY LIONS FALL TO HOT-SHOOTING NC STATE
NC State shot 60 percent from the field for the game and used an 12-0 run over a four-minute stretch in the second half to pull to an 89-78 win over Penn State in the Boardwalk Classic Saturday afternoon. Rasir Bolton had his third career outing with 20 or more points with a game-high 25, including 18 in the second period.
The Wolfpack followed 53.1 percent shooting in the first half with a blistering 17-24 from the field for 70 percent in the second and had a 46-34 points-in-the-paint and 40-29 rebound advantage.
NC State withstood Penn State's late rally as the Nittany Lions battled back from a 16-point deficit to cut the lead to nine.
Even with Stevens on the bench, saddled with foul trouble with three in the first half and a quick fourth early in the second half, Penn State grabbed a one-point lead 56-55 with just under 13 minutes to play. Bolton hit a trey and Wheeler converted a layup and free throw after pulling down the defensive rebound, but the Wolfpack's Markell Johnson connected on a 3-pointer to put NC State back up by two, 58-56.
Stevens, who scored the first three baskets for the Nittany Lions after halftime, re-entered the game with 9:21 left to play and grabbed his 500th career rebound about two minutes later.
Penn State was down by seven with 5:54 in the first half, but senior guard Josh Reaves would score nine of the Nittany Lions' 14 points to help trim the deficit to one, 34-33. The Wolfpack took a 40-37 lead into the locker room.
Four Nittany Lions finished the night in double figures with Bolton's 25, senior guard Josh Reaves' 15, 11 from Lamar Stevens and 10 from Mike Watkins.
Braxton Beverly had 18 points to lead five NC State players with double figures while Wyatt Walker had a game-best eight rebounds.
BY THE NUMBERS
3 – Millions of dollars raised (net) by Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State since the organization was launched in 1995.
25 – Strength of schedule, as ranked by kenpom.com for Penn State's 2018-19 slate.
8.7 – Penn State leads the Big Ten in steals per game for all games and tops the chart for conference contests after recording back-to-back 12-steal games at Maryland and vs. Indiana.
20 – Junior forward Lamar Stevens became only the 20th Nittany Lion with 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds after reaching the rebound milestone vs. NC State on Dec. 15.
63.2 – Career field goal percentage for Mike Watkins, which ranks ninth on the NCAA active career list.
198 – Career steals for Josh Reaves, who, with two more, becomes only the fourth Nittany Lion and 21st Big Ten player all time with 200 career steals. He has led PSU in steals 50 times.
$22,095 – Net funds raised for the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund by Penn State and West Virginia from exhibition game ticket sales and donations from fans.
