The Lions got off to a fast start in the first half, and always felt in control, even when falling behind 15-14.  PSU responded with an 11-0 run, keyed by three consecutive 3-pointers (1 for D.J. Newbill, 2 for Nick Colella) to open up a 25-15 lead.  Those three pointers were part of a run where 5 straight Penn State field goals came from beyond the arc.  Brandon Taylor had the other 2 for the Lions.  PSU would lead 39-28 at the break, with Newbill leading Penn State with 11 points.  Colella had 9, all on three pointers, of course, and Sasa Borovnjak continued his strong play with 8.  PSU dominated the glass with 20 rebounds to just 10 for the Dukes.

PSU were flying out of the half, pulling away to lead by as many as 22, at 66-44 with 10 minutes to play, but trouble soon found the Lions.  Much like they did with Delaware State a couple weeks ago, the Lions were unable to hold the big lead, and allowed the Dukes to slowly chip away, aided in part by officiating that let very little go down the stretch, and ultimately cost the Lions Colella and Jermaine Marshall to foul outs.  Duqane Duquense pulled to within 5 on a Quevyn Winters 3-pointer with just under a minute left, but would get no closer.

Newbill would lead Penn State with 23 points, and also grabbed 12 of the Lions 46 rebounds for his first double-double at Penn State.  He had 6 as a freshman at Southern Miss before transferring.  Borovnjak continued his strong play since entering the starting lineup with 14 points, but did not score in the final 15 minutes of the game.  Senior Nick Colella had 15 points on 5 three-pointers, both of which are career high for the former walk-on.  Senior guard Sean Johnson lead the Dukes with 19 points before fouling out.  The teams combined for 65 free throws, many of which came in the 2nd half.

Penn State heads off to Madison and the Kohl Center for a date with the Badgers on Thursday night at 8:30 on BTN.

Follow VBR Lead Editor Matt de Bear for all the latest on Penn State,

THE LAST TIME OUT

January 25, 2012; Columbus, OH, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard Jermaine Marshall (11) drives past Ohio State Buckeyes guard Lenzelle Smith Jr. (32) at Value City Arena. Ohio State won the game 78-54. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

The Lions got off to a slow start after an 11:00 AM tip against New Hampshire last weekend, but it did not last.  PSU raced out to a 39-14 halftime lead, and coasted to a 72-45 win.  Jermaine Marshall lead PSU with 15 points on the offensive end, and keyed an aggressive defense with 5 steals.  All told, UNH was forced into 15 turnovers, and just 22% shooting from the field.  Sasa Borovnjak again earned the start, and contributed 11 points, with D.J. Newbill and Brandon Taylor eached adding 10.  Freshman forward Donovon Jack played significant minutes for the second straight game, scoring 6 points and grabbing 3 rebounds off the bench, while Jon Graham added 7 points, including 3/4 shooting from the free throw line.  The big second half lead allowed Chambers to rest many of the starters, with only Newbill playing over 30 minutes.

ABOUT THE DUKES

Duquense enters the game coming off what can only be called a bad 91-79 loss on the road against 5-9 Louisiana-Lafayette.  The Dukes best win came in a 60-56 triumph over West Virginia at home earlier in December.  5-11 freshman guard Derrick Colter leads things for Duqense wiith 13.2 points per game, and 4.7 assists.  Sean Johnson is the only other Duke averaging double figures with 12.9 per game.  Penn State’s perimeter defense remains a concern, so keep the names Quevyn Winters and Jerimiah Jones in mind.  They average 38% and 37% respectively form behind the arc.  Colter shoots just 28% from three, but is not shy about shooting from deep, already attempting 75 shots from downtown.

THE MATCHUP

January 25, 2012; Columbus, OH, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Ross Travis (43) drives to the basket while pursued by Ohio State Buckeyes forward J.D. Weatherspoon (15) at Value City Arena. Ohio State won the game 78-54. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State has been able to find multiple weapons on the offensive end during their 3 game winning streak, which has taken significant pressure off of Newbill and Marshall.  Ross Travis should be back close to 100% after being slowed by a bum knee against UNH, and his emergence as a scoring threat has coincided with PSU’s offensive surge.  Borovnjak’s entrance in the starting 5 in place of Jon Graham has added an inside scoring presence that had been lacking all year.  If Penn State continues to spread the ball around and keep the pressure off of Newbill and Marshall, they should have no problem picking up win #8 on the season, and go into Big 10 play with some momentum.

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