Penn State vs Michigan
3/10/2019
Bryce Jordan Center (State College, PA.)
Attendance: 9,678
Penn State Scoring Leader: Josh Reaves (26)
Penn State Rebounding Leader: Josh Reaves (11)
Penn State Assist Leader: Jamari Wheeler (9)
Miscellaneous Notes
- The Penn State men's basketball program honored its fourth-year senior players Josh Reaves and Deivis Zemgulis and senior managers Dominic Prete and Andrew Wrobel in a postgame ceremony.
- This marks the fourth consecutive season with six or more Big Ten conference wins, a first-ever for Penn State. Coach Patrick Chambers has five seasons with six or more league wins which is the most of any Penn State coach in the Big Ten era.
- More than 50 Penn State program alumni, spanning graduation years from 1950 to 2018, returned to campus this weekend to celebrate senior day as well as to see the 2009 National Invitation Tournament championship team be honored.
- Kenpom.com along with ESPN.com calculated Penn State's strength of schedule as the second-toughest in the nation. CBS Sports ranks the Nittany Lions' strength of schedule at No. 3 and the non-conference SOS at No. 18.
- Penn State has won the last six matchups against Illinois. The Nittany Lions improve to 12-10 at the Bryce Jordan Center and 7-4 under Coach Patrick Chambers against the Illini.
- The Nittany Lions end the 2018-19 season winning five of their last six games, clinching a first-round bye in the Big Ten conference tournament only the third time in tournament history with all three byes coming under coach Patrick Chambers.
- Penn State starting lineup: Myles Dread, Jamari Wheeler, Lamar Stevens, John Harrar, and Josh Reaves (15th game with this starting lineup)
Penn State Team Notes
- Josh Reaves and Lamar Stevens helped the Nittany Lions get back on track after a slow start from the field, combining for 21 of Penn State's 31 first half points.
- The Nittany Lions pushed the tempo, all game recording 21 fastbreak points compared to just four for the Fighting Illini.
- Penn State cranked up the defense in the second half, recording seven of its 10 total steals in the second period. The 10 team steals brings Penn State to 239 on the season, the 6th most in school history for a single season. Additionally, the 148 steals is a record for Big Ten Conference games.
- PSU out-rebounded Illinois 37 to 34 bringing its Big Ten season rebound total to 707, the most ever in season in the Penn State Big Ten era.
- The Nittany Lions' 72 points brings them to 1,335 against conference opponents this season, the most conference points in school history since joining the Big Ten conference.
- The Nittany Lions held the Fighting Illini without a field goal in the last 5:50 of the game. The Penn State defense held Illinois to just 20.8% from the field (5 for 24) in the second half. Overall, Illinois shot 34% from the floor which is the second lowest opponent field goal percentage this season.
- In the last four seasons, Penn State has a winning percentage of 91.3 (42-4) when holding an opponent to a field goal percentage of 40 percent or less.
- Illinois entered the game averaging 73.5 points per game on 43.1% shooting. Penn State has now kept 25 of their 31 opponents below their scoring average, including holding 13 teams below their average by double digits in the 2018-19 season.
- The Nittany Lions improved to 13-0 when leading with 5:00 minutes left to play.
Nittany Lions Individual Notes
- Josh Reaves set a pair of career highs with six 3FGM and 26 points. His 26 points brought him to 1,067 for his career moving him up to 27th on Penn State's career scoring list. Reaves also added 11 rebounds which is a season and Big Ten high. This marks Reaves' second double-double of the season, and the fourth of his career.
- With his four steals, Josh Reaves finishes the 2018-19 regular season with 77 steals, the 6th most in a single season in Penn State history. Reaves now has 247 career steals which is the second most in Penn State history. This marks the third consecutive season in which he has led the team and the Big Ten in total steals. Reaves also recorded one block which brings his career total to 91, tying Brandon Taylor for the ninth most in school history.
- Lamar Stevens scored 16 points to pass his former teammate Shep Garner for 5th most points scored in Penn State history with 1,636. Additionally, Stevens notched six rebounds, two assists, and one block. His six rebounds brings him to 646 career boards, tying him with Brandon Taylor for 16th on PSU's career rebounding list.
- Stevens finished the regular season with 613 points, now only the third Nittany Lion to have two listings in Penn State's single-season scoring top 10.
- Myles Dread is the first freshman to lead PSU in 3FGM since Danny Morrissey in the 2004-2005 season and now has 67 for 2018-19. The record is 68 by Pete Lisicky.
- Jamari Wheeler finished with a career high nine assists along with three points, five rebounds and three steals.
- Deivis Zemgulis hit a buzzer-beating 3FG as the last shot in his final home game of his Nittany Lion career.