Seven newcomers play well in debut
State College, Pa, Nov. 3, 2005 – The Penn State basketball team finally got to stretch its legs Thursday night in its first exhibition contest of the 2005-06 season with Lock Haven in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions overcame some early struggles at the free throw line and numerous Lock Haven fouls that slowed the pace and cranked it up in the second half to cruise to an 89-43 win over the Bald Eagles.
“This team is very athletic and they seem to have a lot of chemistry,” Penn State Head Coach Ed DeChellis said. “I know it’s the first game but it just seems like the chemistry is there and they’re playing really well together.”
The Nittany Lions used a 50-point second half that included a sizzling 17-18 (94%) from the free throw line and 50 percent shooting from behind the arc (5-10) to blow the game open. Sophomore forward Geary Claxton tied for the team lead with 15 points, including 7-of-7 from the line, and posted eight rebounds despite playing only 16 minutes. Junior guard David Jackson, a transfer from Gulf Coast Community College, equaled Claxton with 15 points and was 8-of-10 himself from the line. Freshman forward Jamelle Cornley, a two-time Ohio State player-of-the-year, looked strong in logging 14 points and six rebounds while sophomore forward Brandon Hassell and freshman forward Milos Bogetic tied for the team lead with nine boards apiece.
“I think we got the jitters out,” DeChellis said. “We were a nervous bunch and have a lot of new guys playing, so it was important for us to go out there and play in front of people. I think at the end of the day that was the most important thing; just going out there in front of people in uniform, with officials and playing a little bit.”
The opening 10 minutes consisted of stop and start basketball in which the Bald Eagles committed 10 team fouls. The Nittany Lions moved out to a 12-3 lead behind six early points from Claxton, but Lock Haven closed the lead to 13-11 at the 11:51 mark. The Nittany Lions worked their way into a rhythm by the middle of the half and posted an 18-0 run to end the first 20 minutes with a solid 39-17 lead.
The run was fueled by four of the seven freshmen that fill the Nittany Lion roster. Cornley started the run with a jumper and then Bogetic got a steal and sophomore Mike Walker converted with a layup to make the score 25-17. Bogetic then got an offensive rebound and put back and Cornley took a nice feed from junior guard Ben Luber and finished in the post for a 29-17 advantage. Moments later, Bogetic converted on a nice drop step in the post for a 31-17 lead. A steal from freshman guard Maxwell Dubois followed and Cornley finished in traffic, drew the foul, and converted at the line for a 34-17 lead. Freshman forward Joonas Suotamo followed with a bucket and Dubois nailed a three for the final points of the half.
Penn State continued to build the lead as they got into an offensive rhythm in the second half and held Lock Haven to 27.5 percent shooting for the game. The Nittany Lions dominated the boards with a 53-29 rebounding advantage and forced the Eagles into 27 turnovers, which the Nittany Lions turned into 32 points. The Lions played 11 men on the night with no player logging more than 24 minutes as DeChellis got a feel for his new players.
Penn State returns to action Nov. 10 in their second and final exhibition of the season against Edinboro. That game is set for a 7:00 p.m. start and is free to the public.