UNIVERSITY PARK, PA, NOV. 23, 2005 — Penn State shot 58 percent in the first half to open a 51-27 halftime lead and cruised to a 93-56 win over Nicholls State tonight in the Bryce Jordan Center. All 13 players who saw action scored for the Nittany Lions, who improved to 2-0 for the first time under Coach Ed DeChellis.
“I think it is important to develop confidence,” DeChellis said. “That’s why we’ve played a couple of things at home and tried to get us going and guys to have a good feeling. It’s easier to come to practice tomorrow. But, we’re not fools gold either. We’ve got a lot of work to do and we’ve got to play a lot better. But, I think its been a good start for us and hopefully guys are gaining some confidence.”
Freshmen led the way as forward Jamelle Cornley tallied a game-high 17 points, hitting 8-of-10 shots from the floor, and forward Milos Bogetic posted his first career double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Junior guard David Jackson scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, and had a game-high eight assists, while junior forward Cilk McSweeney added 10 points for the Lions, who reached their second-highest point total under DeChellis.
Penn State got its bench involved in the game early and often as the Nittany Lion non-starters logged 53 points and played 77 minutes in the game. The Nittany Lions 51-point first half marked Penn State’s first 50-point half under DeChellis as Penn State forced the Colonels into 27 turnovers on the night and netted 38 points off those turnovers. The Nittany Lions pushed the lead to as many as 42 in the second half as they held the Colonels to 36 percent shooting from the field.
“We all talked about our roles on the team and we all agreed who should start and who should come off the bench, so we don’t have any problems with that,” said Bogetic who has tallied 21 boards in Penn State’s first two games. “I agreed with Coach to start on the bench and I’m fine with that. I’m just trying to help the team as a much as I can.
We all agreed who should do some things on the team and they told me I’m supposed to play defense and rebound the ball and do what I can on offense. So, I’ve committed to rebounding and playing defense.”
Frontcourt starters Geary Claxton, Travis Parker and Brandon Hassell each played 20 minutes or less while starting guards Ben Luber (9 points, 7 assists) and David Jackson combined for a strong floor game in the backcourt combining to post 15 assists against just two turnovers in over 30 minutes of action each. The Nittany Lions posted 29 assists against 13 turnovers on the night.
“I think for us 29 assists is very, very important,” DeChellis said. “I thought we shared the ball well. I think are two guys in the backcourt, Ben (Luber) and David Jackson, had 15 assists together and only two turnovers so that was a very good night.”
The Nittany Lions host Long Island on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and Clemson on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.
Season and single game tickets for all Penn State home games are available by calling the Penn State Athletic Ticket Office at 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533. For groups of 10 or more, ticket discounts and preferred seating options are available by calling 814-863-6757.