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ished the first half of the Big Ten slate av- eraging 9.4 points per game, fourth on the team and just a shade behind Dread's 9.5-point average. Playing 26.0 minutes per game, Bolton shot 35.6 percent from the floor (31 of 87) and 22.7 percent from 3-point range (10 of 44). At the same time, he saw his assist-to-turnover ratio fall to 0.89 (17 assists, 19 turnovers). As the statistics showed, he looked at times very much like the true freshman he is. While Bolton was teaming up with Ja- mari Wheeler to handle the point, Dread began to excel in his role as the Nittany Lions' primary sharpshooter. During the first 10 games of conference play, he hit 41.3 percent of his field goal attempts (33 of 80), the best rate among Penn State's starters, and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc (25 of 65). In doing so, he demon- strated the consistent potential that had been slow to emerge through November and December. Penn State finally ended its Big Ten skid by defeating Northwestern, 59-52, on Feb. 4 in Evanston. That ice-breaking victory turned out to be the first of five wins in February, and the efforts of Bolton and Dread were integral to the Nittany Lions' success through the latter half of the conference season. Dread's red-hot shooting performances were critical in wins against Michigan and Maryland, netting the Nittany Lions 17 points in each. Beaming in the after- math of a 75-69 upset win against the sixth-ranked Wolverines, veteran for- ward Lamar Stevens gave much of the credit to the development of the fresh- man duo. "I know the struggle. I was once in [Myles'] shoes and I was once in Rasir's shoes. And I know how hard it is to play in the Big Ten coming out of high school. It's not easy," Stevens said. "You have to adjust pretty much your entire game to be effective in this league. And I see how hard they work. I see their dedication to this team and to Coach Chambers, and their belief in me. No matter win or lose, they work hard and I always want to see them win." Bolton's improved perimeter shooting was a key part of the Nittany Lions' surge in February and early March. He had hit only 7 of 36 3-point attempts in January (19.4 percent), but in February he went 10 of 23 (43.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Acknowledging the learning curve they faced as they began their first college sea- son, Dread and Bolton have both made the improvements they needed to make. Dread doubled down on his defensive in- tensity, while Bolton spent more time in film study to open up new opportunities. The results have been evident on the court, and the Nittany Lions have reaped the benefits. "We have a team full of good guys who just work hard and want to win," Stevens said. "So seeing some success come our way, come their way, it really means a lot to me. Everybody works so hard, and I'm proud to see how they've grown over this season." ■ FANTASTIC CUISINE EXCEP TIONAL ATMOSPHERE Voted Best Fine Dining V o o t e d B e s t F i n e D i n i n g Colleg W ve Av . College & Cato carnegieinnandspa.com | 814.234.2424 Corner of C Corner of Cricklewood Dr. and Toftrees Ave. carnegieinnandspa.com | 814.234.2424 . Colleg W. College & Cato 814.861.3463 gigisdining.com RN RN RN ABLE ABLE TA T ve Av . College & Cato 814.861.3463 gigisdining.com

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