UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team (4-0) welcomes Yale at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23 for the second of two NIT Season Tip-Off home games at the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will be available on BTN Plus by subscription and the Fox Sports Go app.
The Nittany Lions play the final two games of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center next week, Wed., Nov. 27 vs. Mississippi and Friday, Nov. 29 vs. either Oklahoma State or Syracuse.
WATCH: BTN+ ($) & Fox Sports Go app
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network
Joe Putnam (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
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Listen online: GoPSUsports.com/lionvision
TICKETS:
Single-game tickets | Mobile Flex Plan
The Penn State Athletics Ticket Office at the Bryce Jordan Center opens three hours before tipoff on gameday.
PROMOTIONS:
Fans can purchase student section tickets for both men's basketball & the men's hockey game at Pegula (6 p.m.) HERE
DIGITAL PROGRAM
LIVE STATS: Yale at Penn State
SOCIAL: Twitter @PennStateMBB & @Coach_Chambers | Facebook | Instagram @PennStateMBB
ROSTER: Penn State | Yale
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Yale
STATS: Penn State | Yale
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Yale
MEDIA GUIDE: Penn State
YALE
Coach: James Jones (Albany, 1986)
Record at Yale: 313-275 (21st season)
Career Record: same
2019-20 Record: 3-2, 0-0 Patriot League
Top Scorers
#20 Paul Atkinson, Jr., F – 19.0 ppg
Top Rebounder
#23 Jordan Bruner, Sr., F – 9.4 rpg
Top Assists Leader
#23 Jordan Bruner, Sr., F – 4.8 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 131-140 (9th season)
Career Record: 173-168 (11th season)
2018-19 Record: 4-0, 0-0 Big Ten
Top Scorer
#11 Lamar Stevens, Sr., F – 17.8 ppg
Top Rebounder
#24 Mike Watkins, Sr., F – 8.0 rpg
Top Assists Leader
3.75 apg – Two tied
#5 Jamari Wheeler, Jr. G; #0 Myreon Jones, So., G
STARTING 5
For the first time in program history, Penn State has opened the season with 80+ points in four-straight games.
Penn State ranks 11th nationally in scoring offense at 88.3 points per game after four games this season with a scoring margin of 27.0 for eighth nationally.
Senior forward Lamar Stevens scored 21 points in the second half vs. Bucknell, his second career half with 20 or more points. The first was 21 points in a win vs. Duquesne (12/19/18).
Sophomore guard Myles Dread leads the Big Ten with 3.5 treys made per game, good for a No. 22 ranking nationally. Dread had the second-highest freshman total in Penn State history (67).
Penn State received nine votes in the Nov. 18 USA Today basketball coaches poll, the earliest the Nittany Lions have received votes in either poll.
SERIES VS. YALE
Saturday's meeting will be only the seventh all-time between Yale and Penn State and the Bulldogs hold the 4-2 series advantage.
Series streak: Yale, W2
Overall series: Yale 4-2 (BJC: Yale 2-0)
Last game: at University Park, Pa.
Yale 84, Penn State 68, 12/1/2002
Chambers vs. Yale: First Meeting
Chambers vs. Ivy League: 4-3, 4-1 at PSU
STEVENS CLOSE TO JOINING SELECT COMPANY
Needing 11 rebounds to reach the 700 career board mark, and already with 1,500 career points, Lamar Stevens will join some select company with those milestones.
When he collects career rebound 700, he'll be one of only four Nittany Lions to possess those totals.
Individual (Years) – Points, Rebounds
Jesse Arnelle (1952-55) -- 2,138 points, 1,238 rebounds
Jamelle Cornley (2005-09) -- 1,579 points, 755 rebounds
Geary Claxton (2004-08) -- 1,542 points, 755 rebounds
BY THE NUMBERS
4.0
Senior Mike Watkins' 4.0 blocked shots per game average leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally.
5
Senior Mike Watkins ranks in the NCAA active career top 10 in five categories: total blocks (2); double-doubles (4), rebounds (6), block avg. (6) and field goal percentage (7).
8
Penn State's scoring margin (27.0) is ranked eigth in the nation
and first in the Big Ten.
11
Number of rebounds needed by Lamar Stevens to reach career number 700.
With 1,500 career points, when he reaches 700 career rebounds,
Stevens would become only the fourth Nittany Lion to reach
those career milestones.
21
Number of points by Lamar Stevens in the second half vs. Bucknell en route to a game- and season-high 27.
25
Penn State's most recent kenpom.com rating.
50.2
Penn State's current team field goal percentage, ranked 28th nationally and third in the Big Ten.
"HOME" COMING AT THE PALESTRA
Six Nittany Lions have ties to Philadelphia, as does coach Patrick Chambers, the all-time assists leader for Herb Magee at Philadelphia University. Penn State will play host to Iowa on Jan. 4, 2020, at The Palestra for a "home" game in Philadelphia. Tickets for this game are available for purchase at gopsusports.com/mbbphilly.
SECOND-HALF SURGE LEADS LIONS TO 98-70 WIN
A strong second half by Penn State secured its fourth win of the season with a 98-70 win over Bucknell in the Bryce Jordan Center. Lamar Stevens poured in a season-high 27 points, including 21 of the Nittany Lions' 53 second-half points to lead the charge.
Stevens and Mike Watkins went a combined 20-28 from the field in the victory and Penn State benefitted from 60 percent shooting from the field and 58 points in the paint to take control of the game.
Watkins finished with 18 points and grabbed five rebounds and blocked four shots. His fourth rebound of the night moved him into sole possession of the No. 5 spot on Penn State's career rebounding list, now with 757.
Stevens started the second stanza with the first eight points for a 53-42 lead and he pulled down his own missed attempt and started a stretch where Penn State went 8-8 from the field.
The Nittany Lions led by only three at the half, 45-42. Bucknell made five straight and 7-of-9 baskets over a 4:08 stretch to pull within two at 35-33. The two teams traded baskets in the last 75 seconds of the first half with the Bison getting as close as one point, 43-42. Curtis Jones Jr. scored his seventh point of the half with a field goal to arrive at the halftime score.
Myles Dread added four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points. Wheeler was a perfect 5-5 from the field and had his fifth career double-figure scoring game. Stevens added eight rebounds, three steals and an assist and a block to his stat line.
Bucknell had four starters in double figures led by Andrew Funk with 15 and Paul Newman had the game-high total in rebounds with nine.
