March 7, 2008

Game Notes vs. Indiana

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., March 7, 2008 - The Nittany Lion basketball team (14-15; 6-11 Big Ten) will look to secure another victory over a Top 20 opponent at home and produce its best Big Ten finish since 2001 Sunday in the Bryce Jordan Center when it takes on Indiana (25-5; 14-3 Big Ten) in a 2:00 p.m. tip on ESPN. It is a 4 for $40 game with fans able to get four tickets, four drinks and four hot dogs for $40 as Penn State looks to extend a four-game Big Ten home win streak, its longest since 1996.

The game can be heard live on the Penn State Sports Network (WMAJ 1450 AM in State College) with Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi calling the action and will be streamed to www.GoPSUsports.com.

It will be a battle of two of the Big Ten's top freshmen as Nittany Lion Talor Battle (Albany, N.Y.) faces off against Hoosier sensation Eric Gordon. The pair combined to score 45 points in their first meeting this season. Battle posted a spectacular career night in a win over Michigan in his last BJC appearance with 28 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and seven threes. Penn State will be hopeful for the return of standout Jamelle Cornley (Columbus, Ohio) who missed the Wisconsin game with a chronic knee injury. He leads the team with 12.1 ppg and 6.0 rpg.

Indiana stands tied for second in the Big Ten and leads the conference scoring 76.1 ppg. They are led by Gordon who averages a Big Ten best 21.3 points per game and Big Ten Player of the Year candidate D.J. White who is second in scoring (17.0 ppg) and first in rebounding (10.2 rpg) in the Big Ten.

Tickets for Nittany Lion basketball can be purchased by visiting the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office, calling 814-865-5555 or by clicking on the ticket link on www.GoPSUsports.com. Penn State offers discounts for groups of 15 or more. Any groups interested in purchasing single-game tickets should contact the ticket office at 814-863-6757.

GAME NOTES Penn State (14-15; 6-11 Big Ten) vs. #18/17 Indiana (25-5; 14-3 Big Ten)

Sunday, March 9, 2008 @ 2:00 p.m. (ET)

Bryce Jordan Center (15,261), University Park, Pa.

TV: ESPN

Radio: Penn State Sports Network

Series At A Glance: Penn State lost 81-65 at Indiana earlier this year and trails the series 3-27. PSU is 3-10 at home vs. IU and has lost the last four meetings overall. PSU's last win came in 2006 at home with a 71-68 decision.

Coaches: Penn State: Ed DeChellis - 56-91 (5th at PSU); 161-184 (12th Overall); Indiana: Dan Dakich 3-1 (1st at IU); 159-141 (11th overall)

Television: ESPN: Dave O'Brien (p-by-p) & Bob Valvano (analyst)

Radio: Penn State Sports Network: Steve Jones (p-by-p), Dick Jerardi (analyst). Flagship: WMAJ (1450 AM)

WEB: Audio and Gametracker links at GoPSUsports.com.

Up Next: Penn State will make its 11th Big Ten Tournament appearance with an opening round game on Thur., March 13 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. PSU currently is the #7 seed, but could finish between 7 and 9. PSU is 5-10 all-time at the tournament having last won an opening round game in 2006 and reached the semifinals twice (2000 & 2001). PSU has never been seeded higher than #7.

Hot At Home: Penn State went 3-0 at home in February and with a victory over Michigan on March 1 has won four consecutive Big Ten home games for the first time since Penn State was 9-0 in 1995-96, the Jordan Center's inaugural campaign. Following a win over Wisconsin to close Rec Hall, the Lions won all eight Big Ten games in their sparkling new facility en route to second place in the standings. Penn State has won 12 home games on the season, equaling the second-highest total in the Bryce Jordan Center, a 12-2 mark in 1997-98. A 13-4 record posted in 1999-2000 is the Jordan Center win total record. That mark could be equaled in the final game of the regular season Sunday vs. Indiana.

Scouting The Hoosiers: Indiana stands tied for second in the Big Ten entering the game with a 14-3 conference mark and 25-5 record overall. They have won five of their last six and are coming off a 69-55 victory over Minnesota in Bloomington on Wednesday. The Hoosiers are led by Big Ten leading scorer Eric Gordon (21.3 ppg), a freshman, and senior Big Ten Player-of-the-Year candidate D.J. White who ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (17.0 ppg) and first in rebounding (10.2) and has 18 double-doubles on the year. Indiana leads the Big Ten scoring 76.1 ppg and ranks second in field goal percentage shooting 47.1 percent. They also lead the Big Ten in rebounding (37.9 rpg). Indiana is 8-3 away from Bloomington on the season and has won six conference road games. They have scored 70 points or more in five of their last six games. Penn State is 2-10 on the year and 9-51 overall under Coach DeChellis when a team scores 70 or more points.

Lions Win 4-of-Last-9/Back-to-Back Games: Penn State dropped four straight games after losing leading scorer and rebounder Geary Claxton to a season-ending torn ACL just six minutes into a loss to Wisconsin on Jan. 15 and six overall. Since then, coach DeChellis and his staff have shuffled the line-up, found new combinations and new scoring sources and guided Penn State to a 4-5 mark in its last nine games. Penn State's back-to-back wins on Feb. 27 and March 1 marked the latest in the season Penn State has won consecutive games since winning first and second round games (March 16 & 18) in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

Lions Tie Most Big Ten Wins Under DeChellis: Despite the loss of leading scorer Geary Claxton 3 1/4 games into the Big Ten season, Penn State has equaled its most Big Ten wins under coach Ed DeChellis and has an opportunity to earn its best Big Ten finish since 2001. Penn State is seventh in the conference with a 6-11 mark, just ahead of Iowa (6-12) and Michigan (5-12). Penn State went 7-9 in the Big Ten and tied for sixth in 2001. Penn State's previous high finish under Ed DeChellis in the Big Ten came with a 6-10 mark and eighth place finish in 2006.

INJURY REPORT: Geary Claxton, torn ACL in left knee (1/15), out for season, surgery on Wed., Jan. 30. Jamelle Cornley, bone bruise in left knee (preseason), Questionable, continued icing and electrical stimulation therapy.

What's The Scenario: With one game left in the Big Ten regular season, Penn State is in a three team race for Tournament seedings between No. 7 and No. 9. With Iowa done and Illinois locked into a 10th place finish win or lose due to tie breaks, the games that factor into this race are Penn State vs. Indiana and Michigan vs. Purdue both on Sunday. The scenarios: Penn State wins: 7th seed and plays #10 Illinois; Penn State loses and Michigan loses: PSU is 8th seed with Iowa 7th (by virtue of win over No. 4 Michigan State & No. 5 Ohio State) and Michigan 9th, PSU plays Michigan; Penn State loses and Michigan wins: PSU is 9th seed with Michigan 7th (by virtue of beating No. 3 Purdue) and Iowa 8th, PSU plays Iowa.

Battle Making Case For All-Big Ten Freshman Team/Sixth Among Freshman Scorers: With 11 double-digit scoring outings, four career highs and seven games leading Penn State in scoring so far in Big Ten play, including a spectacular 28-point, 13 rebound, six assist effort in a win over Michigan (3/1), freshman point-guard Talor Battle is making a strong case for inclusion on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team among a strong group of first-year conference players. Battle's 12.2 ppg in Big Ten games is second on the team and ranks sixth among freshman (16th overall) and his 1.50 steals rank second among freshmen (8th overall). Included in his performances are 20 points on a career best 80 percent (4-5) from three in a match-up with Eric Gordon at Indiana and scoring Penn State's last nine points and team-high 14 points, six boards and four assists, with two game-winning FT with :07.1 to play, in a win over Illinois (2/16). He also made a trey with 1:05 to play and a strip just before buzzer in comeback win over Iowa (2/27).

Lions Post Top Five Three-Point Season: Penn State has made 212-of-618 (34.3%) three-pointers on the season. The three-pointers made rank as the fifth most all-time by a PSU team, just one shy of fourth and 10 shy of third. Penn State's 618 attempts from the arc also rank fifth all-time, on shy of fourth and six shy of the third most total. Two made threes and two attempts Sunday will mark the most threes made and attempted by a PSU team on a season since hitting 278-of-757 (both the most ever) in 2000-01.

Freshman Starters/Four On The Floor At Wisconsin: Penn State has started at least three freshmen in 10 of its last 13 games and 12 times total on the season and started four freshmen and five newcomers at Wisconsin on March 5. It marked the first time four freshmen had started under DeChellis at Penn State. 2007-08 was the first season with three freshmen starters since current upperclassmen Geary Claxton, Mike Walker and Danny Morrissey started several games together in the 2004-05 season. In all, freshmen have logged 69 starts on the year. Point-guard Talor Battle has started 28 games, forward Andrew Jones 19, forward David Jackson 12 and forward Jeff Brooks 10. Penn State has had at least two freshman starters in 27 games, marking the third season in Ed DeChellis' five that two freshman have started, but first time since 2004-05.

Oh What A Night/Battle Sets Freshman Scoring Mark Vs. Big Ten: Freshman Talor Battle was spectacular in a 69-61 win over Michigan (3/1) leading Penn State with career highs in points (28), rebounds (13/ all defensive), assists (6), threes (7) and shooting percentage (10-13, 77%). It marked Battle's first career double-double as he set Penn State season highs in rebounds, assists and threes and was a red hot 7-of-9 from three, including three in a decisive 18-3 run late in the second half after he returned from being sidelined for four minutes with a bruised tailbone. Battle had 15 points and seven boards at halftime. Battles 28 points set a Penn State record for freshman scoring in Big Ten play eclipsing the 26 points scored by Marlon Smith vs. Ohio State in 2004. It was the most points scored by a PSU freshman since Walter Young put up 30 vs. Pittsburgh on Jan. 29, 1977.

PSU Top Freshman Scoring Games Vs. Big Ten 28 Talor Battle vs. Michigan, 2008 26 Marlon Smith vs. Ohio State, 2004 23 Joe Crispin vs. Iowa, 1998 22 Dan Earl vs. Illinois, 1994 PSU Top Freshman Scoring Games All-Time 40 Jesse Arnelle vs. Georgetown, 1952 30 Jesse Arnelle vs. Syracuse, 1952 30 Walter Young vs. Pittsburgh, 1977 28 Talor Battle vs. Michigan, 2008

Melle The Man: Jamelle "Melle" Cornley posted back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career to lead Penn State in scoring with 20 points at Minnesota and 22 in a win over Iowa. He now has 11 career 20-point scoring games. He shot 59 percent from the floor (16-27) and a truly remarkable 90.9 percent (10-11) from the foul line while playing 35.5 minutes per game in the two games, this from a career 60 percent foul shooter. His run included 18 second half points to bring Penn State from 12 down to victory vs. Iowa.