City of Basketball Love

Marley Paul (@MarleyPaul22)
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Penn State returned to its former home, Rec Hall, and put together a dominant offensive performance to top the Canisius Golden Griffins 81-67 on Thursday. Penn State got a complete team effort with all nine players scoring, and four in double-digit scoring. The Nittany Lions (6-3) will finish their two-game Return To Rec series on Saturday.

At first…
Easily one of the best starts for Penn State as it featured a new starting lineup. Pat Chambers opted to reenter senior Jordan Dickerson over Julian Moore, while senior forward Donovan Jack made his first start of the year as freshman guard Josh Reaves came off the bench. The new lineup combined to hit its first four shots, taking an 8-0 run to give Penn State the momentum from tipoff.

Turning point...
Penn State coasted through this game through the first half, and coming out the half may have been a bit too casual, allowing the Golden Griffins to cut the lead to 44-37, four minutes into the second half as the Lions struggled to break the full court press. A media timeout allowed Chambers the opportunity to calm his guys down and the Lions responded, extending the lead and holding it to double digits for the majority of the game. 

Shining stars…
Reaves and Payton Banks were difference-makers on the court for Pat Chambers. Reaves was all over the floor in the first half, for a stat line of six points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals; he finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Then in the second half, Banks, the lone Nittany Lion to be held scoreless in the first half, found his stroke, scoring 11 points, in a crucial time period for the Nittany Lions.. 

Noteworthy number...
50: Size is a premium in college hoops and Penn State certainly boasts plenty of it in Dickerson, a 7-footer, and Moore, standing 6-foot-11, and they used it to its advantage against the Golden Griffins, pounding them for 50 points in the paint, almost double Canisius’s 28. 

Up next...
Penn State (5-3) vs. Louisiana-Monroe (4-2) (2 p.m. Saturday)