Penn State Welcomes Wake Forest for B1G/ACC Challenge

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team (6-1) welcomes Wake Forest (5-3) at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4 in the 21st annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. This is the first meeting for the Nittany Lions and Demon Deacons in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and only the third meeting all-time between the two programs.
 
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Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
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TICKETS:
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The Penn State Athletics Ticket Office at the Bryce Jordan Center opens three hours before tipoff on gameday.
 
PROMOTIONS:
The first 500 student receive a black & pink Curtis Jones Jr. jersey T-shirt
 
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ROSTER: Penn State  |  Wake Forest
SCHEDULE: Penn State  |  Wake Forest
STATS: Penn State  |  Wake Forest
GAME NOTES:  Penn State | Wake Forest
MEDIA GUIDE:  Penn State | Wake Forest
 
WAKE FOREST
Coach: Danny Manning (Kansas, 1991)
Record at Wake Forest: 70-96 (Sixth season)
Career Record: 108-125 (Eighth season)
2019-20 Record: 5-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast
Top Scorers
#0 Brandon Childress, Sr., G – 16.9 ppg
Top Rebounder                     
#34 Olivier Sarr, Jr., C – 9.5 rpg
Top Assists Leader
#0 Brandon Childress, Sr., G – 5.3 apg

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 133-141 (Ninth season)
Career Record: 175-169 (11th season)
2019-20 Record: 6-1, 0-0 Big Ten
Top Scorer                            
#11 Lamar Stevens, Sr., F – 18.0 ppg
Top Rebounder
#24 Mike Watkins, Sr., F – 9.1 rpg
Top Assists Leader
#0 Myreon Jones, So., G – 3.9 apg
 
STARTING 5
Penn State is 9-9 in Big Ten/ACC Challenge games and has won four of its last five in this special series. Coach Patrick Chambers is 5-3 in Big Ten/ACC Challenge games and 8-7 vs. ACC opponents at Penn State.
 
Penn State will wear its black and pink uniforms, for Wednesday's Big Ten/ACC Challenge contest, paying homage to the university's original school colors. The Nittany Lions are 9-0 in regular-season games in the black and pink.
 
Senior forward Mike Watkins needs 11 rebounds to reach 800 in his career. He would become only the fourth Nittany Lion to reach that milestone.
 
Watkins collected a season-best 16 rebounds vs. Syracuse with 11 offensive boards, most by a Nittany Lion since Aaron Johnson had 11 offensive of his 24 total vs. Western Carolina (11/13/2004).
 
Senior forward Lamar Stevens posted back-to-back games of 20+ points last week and needs only 27 points to move up to No. 3 on Penn State's all-time scoring list (D.J. Newbill-1,812 pts).
 
SERIES VS. WAKE FOREST
Wednesday's game will be the third meeting between Wake Forest and Penn State and first in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. It is also the first game played on the campus of either institution.
 
Series streak: Penn State, W1
Overall series: Tied at 1-1 (N: 1-1)
Last game: at Fiesta Bowl Classic, Tuscon, Ariz.
Penn State 67, Wake Forest 63, 12/30/1989
Chambers vs. Wake Forest: First meeting
Chambers vs. ACC: 8-8, 8-7 at Penn State
 
Date -- Location -- Result
12/10/1960 -- Charlotte, N.C. -- L, 78-84
12/30/1989 -- Tuscon, Ariz. -- W, 67-63
 
THE CHALLENGE
Penn State has won four of its last five Big Ten/ACC Challenge games with a 9-9 overall record in 18 Challenge appearances. Coach Patrick Chambers is 5-3 in Big Ten/ACC Challenge games. Results in 2018 were split evenly 7-7 in the 20th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
 
AGAINST THE ACC
Penn State is 151-193 all-time in meetings against the current roster of Atlantic Coast Conference teams. The Nittany Lions faced two ACC teams in 2018-19, splitting games with Virginia Tech (Big Ten/ACC Challenge, W) and NC State (Naismith Hall of Fame Boardwalk Classic, L). Coach Patrick Chambers is 8-7 against ACC schools in his tenure at Penn State.
 
STEVENS RANKS ON PENN STATE TOP 10 LISTS
Stevens already ranks in the top 10 of several Penn State career lists:

Category – Rank – Statistic
Scoring – 5 – 1,786 points
Field Goals – 4 – 655 made
Free Throws – 8 – 409 made
Blocked Shots – 9 – 97 blocks
Scoring Avg. – 9 – 16.1 ppg
Rebounds – 11 – 716 rebounds
 
­­WATKINS RANKS IN NCAA CAREER TOP 10
Senior Mike Watkins ranks in the top 10 in five categories and is 16th in rebound average on the NCAA Division-I active career list.
 
STAT – RANKING – VALUE
Total Blocked Shots – 2 – 227
Double-Doubles – 4 – 29
Rebounds – 6 – 789
Blocked Shot Average – 6 – 2.36
Field Goal Percentage – 10 – 61.7
Rebound Average – 16 – 8.2
 
WATKINS, MYREON JONES REGISTER DOUBLE-DOUBLES IN WIN
Lamar Stevens scored 20 points while Mike Watkins and Myreon Jones each produced double-doubles on the night as Penn State topped Syracuse 85-64 Friday night in the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center.

Watkins, who was name to the NIT Season Tip-Off all-tournament team, was dominant on the glass for the Nittany Lions with a game-best 16 rebounds to go along with 15 points. His second-consecutive double-double included 11 offensive rebounds to give the Nittany Lions multiple chances on the offensive end throughout the game.
 
Myreon Jones had 16 points and 10 rebounds, nine on the defensive side, for his first career double-double. Myreon Jones connected on three 3-pointers in the first half to help the Nittany Lions to a fast start offensively.
 
Penn State never trailed in the game, grabbing a double-digit lead in the first half and countered Syracuse's 8-0 run to start with second period with an 8-1 run of its own. Stevens broke the 35-35 tie with a 3-pointer at 16:49 and Curtis Jones Jr scored three of the Nittany Lions' next four baskets to push the PSU lead to nine, 48-39.
 
Syracuse would get as close as four, 50-46, at 11:52 in the second half, but no closer. For 7:01, the Orange went without a field goal, earning its 10 points at the free throw line in that stretch. Buddy Boeheim had a layup at 3:09 and Quincy Guerrier finished the scoring for Syracuse with its final basket at 1:28.
 
In all, five Nittany Lions scored in double figures with Curtis Jones, Jr. adding 14 points and freshman forward Seth Lundy finishing with 10, eight in the second half.
 
Penn State was relentless on the glass with 57 rebounds, most in the Patrick Chambers era and first time the Nittany Lions had more than 50 since a Dec. 29, 2012 win over Duquesne.
 
The Nittany Lions lead 34-27 at the half with Stevens with 10 points, despite having two personal fouls, and M. Jones had nine points. Neither team shot well in the first half with the Orange with a 34.6 to 32.4 advantage in field goal percentage.
 
Elijah Hughes had 19 points for Syracuse and Quincy Guerrier was the top rebounder for the Orange with 10. Bourama Sidibe, the top rebounder coming into the game for Syracuse, picked up three fouls by halftime and fouled out of the game with 6:58 left to play. Marek Dolezaj, another Orange starter, exited the game with his fifth foul with 90 seconds left to play.