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Wolverines foil strategy – 1/16/05:

“STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State figured the strategy would work Saturday against Michigan. The Nittany Lions’ defense would concentrate on containing Daniel Horton and Dion Harris.

“It sounded good. U-M center Courtney Sims got in foul trouble (he played only 20 minutes) and the Wolverines were already playing without injured starters Chris Hunter (ankle) and Brent Petway (shoulder).

“‘We played some triangle-and-two (three players in a zone defense and man-to-man defense on Horton and Harris) and tried to take Harris and Horton out of the game,’ Penn State Coach Ed DeChellis said. ‘We tried to roll the dice and make someone else beat us.’

“It happened. Freshman Ron Coleman and junior Graham Brown came through in the second half to lead the Wolverines to a 66-62 victory.

“Coleman scored all 12 of his points in the final six minutes, seven seconds on four three-point shots. Brown, who was playing in his second game after missing the previous eight because of hernia surgery, had nine of his 13 points in the second half. Brown also had 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. …”

U-M defeats Lions, 66-62, after rookie’s rebound:

“STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Ronald Coleman looked lost in the first half.

The University of Michigan’s freshman forward took just two shots before halftime, missing both badly, including an air ball that ignited a partisan Penn State crowd.

“But coach Tommy Amaker told his rookie wing to calm down and just keep shooting in the second half.

“It was good advice.

“Coleman scored 12 points, all on four second-half 3-pointers, as Michigan defeated Penn State, 66-62, on Saturday. The Wolverines remained undefeated in conference play, winning their sixth-straight game this season and their seventh-straight over the Nittany Lions. …”

FightOnState.com: Good News on Marlon Smith:

“Penn State fell to Michigan, 66-62, at the Jordan Center Saturday, extending its losing streak to five games while dipping to 0-4 in the conference and 6-11 overall.

“While it may have been tempting for the Nittany Lions to ask themselves how much worse things could get, they didn’t. Because sitting on the bench with them was a person whose recent real-life drama lends perspective to anything happening on the floor.

“Sophomore guard Marlon Smith, who spent a week at Hershey Medical Center due to a blocked artery in his brain which caused him to collapse at practice Jan. 7, returned to campus Friday. He sat with his teammates Saturday, wearing a gray sweatsuit with white stripes down the side.

“And a smile.

“Though he will miss the remainder of the season because he must spend at least three months on blood-thinning medication, Smith was upbeat at a postgame press conference, too.

“‘As of right now, I’m feeling pretty good,’ Smith said. “I’m pretty happy and excited to be back with my team, and to be back here at Penn State. I’m kind of blessed to be here right now. It’s a great thing.’ …”

State College, Pa. – January 15, 2005 – The Penn State Nittany Lion basketball team dropped a hard-fought 66-62 decision to visiting Michigan on Saturday in the Bryce Jordan Center. Junior Travis Parker (Greenville, N.C.) led an outstanding Penn State effort with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists, but Michigan’s Ronald Coleman made four second-half three-pointers to spur UM on to the win.

The Nittany Lions and Wolverines played an even and energized first half, with each team leading by as many as six points. Penn State opened the game up by outscoring UM 14-6 over the first five-plus minutes. But Michigan would battle back with an 11-1 run to take a 19-5 lead at the 7:59 mark. Close throughout the first stanza, Michigan owned a 30-26 lead at intermission.

Parker led Penn State with seven points in the half while freshman Geary Claxton (West Haven, Conn.) had five points (including two dunks), four rebounds and two blocks. Aaron Johnson (Exton, Pa.) added four and six boards. Penn State shot .409 from the floor, but its defense held Michigan to just .394 shooting. The Nittany Lions also out-rebounded UM 19-16 over the game’s first 20 minutes.

The second half began with Penn State pulling into the lead, 37-35, on a traditional three-point play from Johnson at the 14:05 mark. The teams would continue to trade buckets until, with the game tied at 42-42 at the 9:28 mark, Michigan would go on a 10-3 run and grab a 50-43 lead with only 4:57 to play. The Wolverines would extend that lead to eight, 57-49, with just 2:36 left when Penn State would mount a furious comeback effort.

Parker would score five points (a trey and two free throws) to pull the Lions to within two, 59-57, at the 1:04 mark. But Coleman would hit his fourth and final trey with :34 to play and Michigan would make its free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Claxton also had a fine game, with the freshman continuing to play well in Big Ten action. Claxton had 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Johnson posted his eighth double-double of the year with 11 points and 11 rebounds while Ben Luber (Richboro, Pa.) scored 13. Dion Harris led UM with 14 while Coleman ended the game with 13.

Penn State out-rebounded Michigan 40-29. The Nittany Lions shot .404 from the field, but hit only four of 14 three-pointers (.286). Michigan was 11 of 13 from the stripe and committed only eight turnovers.

Penn State is now 6-11, 0-4 Big Ten, while Michigan moves to 12-5, 3-0. The Nittany Lions will host Northwestern next Saturday at 4 p.m. in their next game. The contest is an ESPN2 national broadcast. Nittany Lion single game tickets can be purchased either at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket windows or on-line at www.GoPSUsports.com (click on the tickets button or the tickets tile). Single game and ticket packages can also be ordered by phone by calling 1-800-863-3336 or locally 865-5555.

HEAD COACH ED DECHELLIS QUOTES

Opening statement

“We kept climbing back into the game and getting to where we needed to be but then we kept turning the ball over and we didn’t take advantage. Michigan hit some big shots and that’s what this league is all about. We tried to take Dion Harris and Daniel Horton out of the game and I think they hurt us, especially in the first half. Graham Brown played exceptionally well. Our game plan was to take Harris and Horton out of the game and try and make someone else step up and beat us. Brown stepped up and did it.”

Talk about the play of Ben Luber

“Luber’s effort was outstanding, considering he was sick with the flu before the game. He plays hard and is a tough competitor. I thought he did a good job passing and he played very well defensively.”

What was it like having Marlon Smith back with the team?

“It was nice to have the guys see him at practice and in the locker room. It was a real pick-me-up for our guys.”

How important is it to not have to play the midweek game?

“It’s both good and bad. You have this sour taste in your mouth from the loss and Wednesday could be a day to get a win and erase that taste. But we’ll do some things academically in the next two days and then practice hard the rest of the week in preparation for Saturday.”

PENN STATE PLAYER QUOTES

Travis Parker

On playing without Marlon Smith:

“I thought we still had a good chance to win. We should have won. They just hit big shots at the end.”

On emotions in regards to Smith’s return to team activity:

“We were already emotional, coming into the game with an 0-3 Big Ten start. Marlon coming back and going to practice and sitting on the bench gave us an extra boost.”

On the physicality of the game:

“It wasn’t the most physical game we’ve played thus far. I would say Michigan State was the most physical. It was still a fast paced game but not like Michigan State with their fast breaks.”

Geary Claxton

On emotional aspect of the game:

“It was emotional. We just tried to play hard. We have to just keep on playing.”

On becoming comfortable with the style and play of the college game:

“I just have to keep playing more games. As I play more games I’ll become more comfortable. I just have to focus on the next game right now.”

On competitiveness of second half play today:

“You just have to play hard, 40 minutes each game like Coach says. We’re giving all of our effort and all we can do is keep trying and play harder.”

GAME NOTES:

• Travis Parker led both teams in scoring with a career-high 19 points and has now reached double figures in scoring in 14 of 17 games this season, including 11 of the past 12.
• Aaron Johnson extended his double-figure scoring streak to 20 consecutive games, despite being limited to one field goal in only five attempts. Johnson was 9-of-13 from the free throw line.
• Johnson collected a game-high 11 rebounds, his 8th double-figure rebounding effort of the season and the 16th of his career.
• Geary Claxton registered three blocks, the third time the freshman has achieved that mark. His 11th double-figure scoring effort of the season produced 13 points.
• Ben Luber scored a season-high 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field in 34 minutes of play. He converted 2-of-3 free throw attempts.

Marlon Smith Out for Season:

“State College, Pa. – January 15, 2005 – Penn State Nittany Lion basketball player Marlon Smith (Bronx, N.Y.) met with the media after Penn State’s game with Michigan this afternoon to announce that he will not play for the remainder of the season.

“Smith, who got ill at practice on Friday, Jan. 7, underwent extensive testing to determine the cause for some weakness in his extremities. Penn State Director of Athletic Medicine Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, announced that Smith had a small, transient, partial blockage of an artery in his brain related to a small blood clot. …”

Big Ten Conference – Official Athletic Site – Men’s Basketball:

"SCORING ## Player-Team G FG 3FG FT Pts Avg/G ---------------------------------------------

1.Pierce, Pierre-IOWA...... 2 18 2 8 46 23.0

2.Horton, Daniel-MICH...... 2 13 3 8 37 18.5

Wright, Bracey-IND....... 2 13 1 10 37 18.5

4.Vukusic, Vedran-NU....... 3 17 7 10 51 17.0

5.Wilkinson, Mike-WIS...... 3 18 2 12 50 16.7

Landry, Carl-PUR......... 3 19 1 11 50 16.7

Claxton, Geary-PSU....... 3 15 0 20 50 16.7"

Includes video interview with Danny Morrissey

FightOnState.com: PSU Hoop Preview: Michigan:

• “Starting guard Marlon Smith (11.8 ppg) will miss his third straight game due to an unspecified illness. He is hospitalized at the Hershey Medical Center. DeChellis said Smith and his family would like to keep the matter private. There is no timetable set for a return. Morrissey will continue starting in Smith’s place (see video).
  
• “Penn State has gotten a total of 59 points from its guards in three Big Ten games. By comparison, Illinois received 51 points from its backcourt in a single game against PSU. …”

PSU’s Smith may show up at today’s tilt: “Terrific news will greet the Penn State Nittany Lions today when they host the Michigan Wolverines at the Jordan Center (12:15).

“Marlon Smith has been released from Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and was planning last night to attend the game, according to coach Ed DeChellis.

“PSU’s sophomore guard has undergone a weeklong battery of tests since collapsing during practice on Jan. 7 and has been cleared of any imminent life-threatening condition.

” ‘He’s back on campus,’ DeChellis said last night. ‘We’re hoping he’ll be able to talk to everyone [today] after the game.’

“DeChellis was planning to ask for the blessing of Smith’s family in order to hold a postgame news conference to clear the air about the player’s diagnosis. …”

Centre Daily Times | 01/15/2005 | Battle of the bruised:

“Any breaks the Penn State men’s basketball team have caught this season have gone unnoticed, if they’ve existed at all. One player left the team, another took himself out of uniform and a third is currently in the hospital, leaving Penn State with nine scholarship players, four of whom are true freshmen.

“Through it all, the Nittany Lions (6-10, 0-3 Big Ten) have been careful not to whine. Otherwise, they would look pretty silly next to today’s opponent, because if there is a team that has caught fewer breaks, it is Michigan.

“The Wolverines (11-5, 2-0), who will meet Penn State at 12:15 p.m. today at the Bryce Jordan Center, have been decimated by injuries, starting 11 different players in 10 different lineups, but have still found ways to win eight of their last 10 games.

“‘They’re pretty deep, and it’s seemed like they’ve had guys step up on different nights and play,’ Penn State men’s basketball coach Ed DeChellis said. ‘They’ve done a great job of holding things together and still continue to win.’…”

Centre Daily Times | 01/14/2005 | Nittany Lions only worried about teammate’s health:

“The player is in a hospital bed some 100 miles away. He doesn’t know what is wrong with him, what made him, in the prime of his life, collapse in the middle of a practice. He and his family want to keep things quiet, at least until they know more.

“The coach has enough to worry about already. At one point during Wednesday’s game against the nation’s top-ranked team, he sent four true freshmen and a junior-college transfer onto the floor. As he prepares his team for another Big Ten game, he continues to receive the question:

“What is the matter with Marlon Smith?

“And there isn’t much Ed DeChellis can say, really. Not because he wants to keep the media or the fans in the dark. Because he made a promise to the Smith family to keep things confidential.The week hasn’t been any easier for DeChellis and the Penn State basketball family, but they must continue to go about their business, part of which includes keeping that promise and part of which means facing the media.

“Penn State fans, however, have an insatiable need for information. When they don’t have it, many will compensate by creating their own stories. …”