COACH CHAMBERS QUOTES | JUNIOR LAMAR STEVENS QUOTES | POSTGAME NOTES | COACH PIKIELL QUOTES
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Nittany Lion junior forward Lamar Stevens scored 16 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, but a timely 3-pointer by Rutgers' Geo Baker gave the Scarlet Knights a late lead, and eventually the 64-60 win, at the Bryce Jordan Center Saturday. The largest crowd of the year, 13,366 strong, came out for the THON game to support the student-organization's mission to conquer childhood cancer.
Baker finished with 20 points and both teams had three players in double figures. Redshirt junior Mike Watkins had a game-best nine rebounds while Stevens had eight.
"Coming into the game, I knew Rutgers was playing really well and (they) played very tough, very physical, grinding out basketball, so let's give Coach [Steve] Pikiell credit for their game plan today," said Penn State men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers. "We go up and they fight back. We keep fighting back. They go up a few points, we keep fighting back again. We get it to one point and I just love this team's grit. We're this close to breaking through. I'm more optimistic walking out of this arena than I was a week ago. We just have to clean up a few things -- a couple of rebounds here or there, couple missed free throws here or there, and missed assignments on both ends."
A stretch of seven-and-a-half minutes in the second half witnessed five of the game's eight ties and five lead changes. A 7-0 run by the Nittany Lions to open the period put them up by one, 33-32, as Stevens and Reaves followed a Myles Dread 3-pointer with two baskets.
The tightly contested game continued with ties at 37, 41, 43, 45, 51 and 53 points. Rutgers' Baker hit two free throws for a 54-53 lead and then hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc less than a minute later to put the Scarlet Knights up 57-53. It was Rutgers' final last field goal of the game with 3:26 remaining, but seven points came off 10 trips to the foul line for the final margin.
The Nittany Lions got a big put-back basket from Watkins and made five of their six free throws, but couldn't get any closer than within a point of Rutgers, 58-57, with 2:33 left in the game.
Rutgers and Penn State recorded game field goal percentages of 35.0 and 35.1 percent, respectively, but the Nittany Lions struggled from beyond the arc, especially in the second half at 12.5 percent (1-8) and 25.0 percent (6-24) for the game. Rutgers made four of its seven 3-pointers in the second period.
Both teams were even in assists (9) and turnovers (14) and went through scoring droughts with Rutgers' coming early in the half while Penn State had a stretch without a field goal midway through the second half. The Nittany Lions made six free throws while the Scarlet Knight's nearly three-minute scoring drought late in the half allowed Penn State to tie the game at 51. Rasir Bolton's layup with 4:20 left in the game gave PSU its last lead at 53-52.
Montez Mathis and Eugene Omoruyi each had 11 points to go along with Baker's 20 on the night for Rutgers and Shaq Carter had seven rebounds to lead the Scarlet Knights.
Saturday afternoon's game saw the highest attendance of the year at 13,366 with community and campus support for the annual THON game. Student single-game tickets were $5 and the entire amount will be donated directly to THON as the organization will hold the 2019 event in the BJC Feb. 15-17.
The Nittany Lions play at home again on Thursday, Jan. 31 with a 7 p.m. tip time against the Boilermakers. The game is set for broadcast on FS1.
For information or to purchase Penn State men's single-game tickets, visit GoPSUsports.com/mbbsinglegametix 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.
