City of Basketball Love

Marley Paul (@MarleyPaul22)

UNIVERSITY PARK — In the post-D.J. Newbill era, Penn State coach Patrick Chambers promised a balanced offense, predicated on ball movement and contributions from all five players on the court.

On Tuesday, the Penn State faithful caught a glimpse of that, as four Nittany Lions scored in double digits to propel Penn State to a 68-62 victory over DePaul at the Bryce Jordan Center. 

One day after being named team captain, senior forward Brandon Taylor led Penn State with a 22-point performance —19 coming in the second half — on an efficient shooting game, going 7-for-10 overall, and 4-for-7 beyond the arc. Taylor displayed his outside stroke heavily against DePaul, completely opposite from his season opening outing versus VMI in which he pounded both sides of the block for his 13 points on a not-so-efficient 4-of-14 shooting night. 

Clinging to a three-point lead toward the end of a tightly contested first half of action, Taylor stepped up and nailed his first shot of the game with two seconds on the clock. It was a 3-point basket that pushed the Penn State lead to 31-25. It not only gave the Nittany Lions some cushion going into the half, but a much-need energy boost.

“It was a big shot. Payton [Banks] found me and I think those three points go to him, honestly, because that was a great pass,” Taylor said. “He found me at the right time and it was just good momentum."

That momentum translated into two more 3-pointers and a layup by Taylor to open the second half, pushing the Penn State lead to double digits at 39-29 just two minutes into the second half. It was a 12-point, three-minute stretch in game minutes for Taylor, who played just nine minutes in the first half after committing four turnovers and two fouls. 

“He is a senior and was just named captain so he has a different approach and a very different demeanor,” Chambers said. “He has his shoulders back and his head up.

“Misses, turnover, power-clap, move on, next play. It’s something we’ve been working on. Six seconds of recovery, sprint back, forget about it, move on. He’s doing a really good job at that right now. I was really impressed with his second half and his communication throughout.”

Penn State’s defense came out sharp from the tipoff, forcing DePaul to miss its first two shots then commit four turnovers on its first six possessions. That defense turned into buckets, with freshman Josh Reaves opening the scoring for the second consecutive game with a steal and uncontested fast break dunk.

Fellow guard Shep Garner and Reaves both finished uncontested layups to score six consecutive points. 

Reaves chalked the identical opening buckets as luck, but said last game, “that being my first points of college basketball, it took a lot of pressure off of me.”

The freshman guard scored in double digits in scoring with a 10-point outing, adding three rebounds and two steals. Reaves is still learning when to pick his moments to be aggressive on the court, but his energy and tenacity on the defensive end has been a spark plug for the Nittany Lions, who recorded seven steals and forced the Blue Demons into 13 turnovers. 

“You have to let him play, he is so gifted and loves to play on the defensive end,” Chambers said. “He is kind of a throwback for me. He wants to get better and we will watch film tomorrow and he will want to get better. Some of the things we want to clean up, it’ll gradually start to show. The most important thing to me is getting him there by January, when the Big Ten comes around.  

Garner, a Chester native, continued his good shooting from deep, nailing half of his six attempts for 16 points and dished out five assists. Payton Banks made his second start for the Nittany Lions and again proved his worth in the starting lineup. Banks found his stroke behind the arc as well, going 2-for-4 from distance, en route to 10 points in a career-high 33 minutes. 

The Nittany Lions held the lead from start to finish, though, the Blue Demons stayed within striking distance, keeping the deficit within six points for a 13-minute stretch before the final minute. With a three-point lead with 2:39 remaining, Garner nailed two consecutive 3-pointers, followed by a Taylor 3-pointer that stretched the lead 63-56 and allowed the Nittany Lions to close the final 44 seconds out on the free throw line.

Chambers was pleased with his team’s poise offensively down the stretch of a tight ball game, but wasn’t so happy about the other side of the court. 

“I think they felt comfortable making those decisions,” he said. “I was pleased with the execution on the offensive end.

“We still have to work on the defensive end. I understand we’re up three possessions, but you still can’t give easy points up like that. We have to do a little better job on the defensive end.”