Nittany Lions Head into Holidays With Central Conn. State Friday

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team (9-2, 1-1) continues its homestand against Central Connecticut State (0-11) at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20 in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are 7-0 at home this year and are riding an 11-game home win streak dating back to the last four games of the 2018-19 season.
 
The Nittany Lions and Blue Devils have played two times previously with Penn State winning both games. Central Connecticut State and Cornell (Dec. 29) are the final two nonconference opponents for Penn State this season.
 
TICKETS:
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The Penn State Athletics Ticket Office at the Bryce Jordan Center opens three hours before tipoff on gameday.

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LIVE STATS: Central Conn. State at Penn State
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ROSTER: Penn State  |  Central Conn. State
SCHEDULE: Penn State  |  Central Conn. State
STATS: Penn State  |  Central Conn. State
GAME NOTES:  Penn State | Central Conn. State
MEDIA GUIDE:  Penn State | Central Conn. State
 
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE
Coach: Donyell Marshall (UConn)
Record at CCSU: 31-72 (Fourth season)
Career Record: Same
2019-20 Record: 0-11, 0-0 Northeast
Top Scorers
#0 Greg Outlaw, Fr., G/F – 10.7 ppg
Top Rebounder                     
#20 Stephane Ayangma, Jr., F – 5.0 rpg
Top Assists Leader
#10 Zach Newkirk, So., G – 4.4 apg

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 136-142 (Ninth season)
Career Record: 178-170 (11th season)
2019-20 Record: 9-2, 1-1 Big Ten
Top Scorer                            
#11 Lamar Stevens, Sr., F – 16.7 ppg
Top Rebounder
#24 Mike Watkins, Sr., F – 9.5 rpg
Top Assists Leader
#0 Myreon Jones, So., G – 3.2 apg

STARTING 5
Penn State debuted in the 2019-20 Associated Press top-25 poll at No. 23. It is the first time the Nittany Lions have been ranked in the regular season since March 1996.
 
PSU earned a No. 18 spot in the NCAA's first NET rankings, released on Dec. 16. Penn State is currently 24th on kenpom.com
 
Penn State currently owns an 11-game home win streak, with seven wins this season combined with four from the end of 2018-19. This is the second-longest win streak in the Bryce Jordan Center since the record of 14 when the arena opened.
 
Senior forward Mike Watkins needs just three points to become the 37th Nittany Lion to reach the 1,000 career point milestone. He is one of only four Nittany Lions with 800 rebounds.
 
Senior forward Lamar Stevens led, or had a share of the top total in five key statistics in the Alabama win: scoring (18-tied), rebounds (11), assists (6), blocks (5) and steals (2-tied). Stevens is on the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List and the Karl Malone Award Watch List.
 
SERIES VS. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE
Penn State and Central Connecticut State meet for the third time overall with all three contests taking place in University Park.
 
Series streak: Penn State, W2
Overall series: Penn State leads 2-0
at University Park: Penn State leads 2-0
Last game: at University Park, Pa.
Penn State 77, Central Conn. St. 61, 11/22/2010
Chambers vs. Central Conn. St.: First meeting
 
BY THE NUMBERS
3 -- When Watkins reaches the 1,000 career point milestone, needing three more points, he will be only the third Nittany Lion with 1,000 career points and 800 rebounds.
 
4 -- Four of the top eight players on the Big Ten career 3-point field goal chart are Nittany Lions: Garner (#2), Lisicky (#3), Battle (#7) & Joe Crispin and (#8).
 
13 -- Lamar Stevens scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half vs. Alabama and had a 7-0 run to help PSU to regain the lead and eventual win.
 
18 -- The Nittany Lions debuted at 18th in the first NCAA NET rankings released on Dec. 16.
 
23 -- Penn State earned its first regular-season national ranking for first time since March 1996. PSU appeared in the week 7 AP poll at No. 23.
 
15.82 -- Penn State leads the Big Ten in forced turnovers per game at 15.82.
 
40 -- Penn State's class of 2020 earned a top-40 ranking from 247Sports.
 
PENN STATE COMPLETES COMEBACK FOR SEVENTH HOME WIN
A strong second-half performance by Lamar Stevens and timely defensive stops fueled Penn State to a 73-71 comeback victory over Alabama in nonconference action Saturday in the BJC.
 
Stevens led the Nittany Lions in rebounding (11), assists (6) and blocks (5) and shared the game-high total in scoring with 18 points, 13 coming in the second half. Stevens took over on both sides of the court with 5:40 left to play. He tied the game at 63 with a field goal in the paint and put Penn State up by one, 64-63, when he connected on the subsequent free throw after an Alabama foul.
 
On the other end of the court, Stevens picked up a steal and hit another jumper to push the score to 66-63. He blocked a Tide attempt with just under five minutes to play and his 7-0 scoring stretch ended with a layup for a 68-63 PSU lead, the PSU's largest of the night.
 
Curtis Jones Jr. joined Stevens with 18 points on 6-11 shooting from the field, including 3-6 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Myreon Jones  poured in 17 points with a perfect 5-5 mark from the free-throw line.
 
Curtis Jones and Izaiah Brockington added field goals to stave off Alabama's assault on the basket as the Tide narrowed the deficit to one point, 70-69, and again at 72-71. Mike Watkins added a free throw with 12 seconds left for the final margin, 73-71.
 
Alabama put together a 12-0 run over three minutes to take an eight-point lead at 33-25. Neither team shot above 36 percent in the first half. A pair of Curtis Jones 3-pointers and a layup pulled the Nittany Lions back within six as Tide took a 40-34 lead into the locker room.
 
James Bolden led Alabama with 15 points and Alex Reese 12. Herbert Jones pulled down nine rebounds for the Crimson Tide.