Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1410640
1 4 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 9 Saves by redshirt junior goalkeeper Kat Asman in the Penn State women's soccer team's 4-2 road victory over No. 3 Virginia on Sept. 9. Asman, a Roswell, Ga., native, faced a barrage of shots, with the Cavaliers outshooting PSU, 28- 13. But her solid play in goal propelled the Nittany Lions to their first victory over a top-10 opponent since Aug. 17, 2018, when they defeated No. 9 West Virginia, 1-0. The win was Penn State's first over Virginia since 2012. 11th Joe Paterno's placement on ESPN.com's list of the top 100 college football coaches of the past 50 years. As writer Bill Connelly noted, Paterno "engineered top- 10 finishes in five different decades, and he won two national titles — nearly won five more." Paterno finished one spot ahead of Grambling's Eddie Robinson, the coach he eclipsed as the winningest in Division I history in his final game at PSU. The Nittany Lions' current head coach also made the list, with James Franklin ranking 99th, in between UL-Monroe's Rich Rodriguez (98th) and Virginia's Bronco Mendenhall (100th). 14.6 Lamar Stevens' scoring average during his ap- pearance in the NBA Summer League tourna- ment in Las Vegas in August. The former Nittany Lion great started all five games for the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 28.1 minutes. In addition to reaching double figures in all of those contests, he averaged 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists. The second-leading scorer in Penn State history with 2,207 points, Stevens enjoyed his best game of the tournament against New York, going 9 of 16 from the floor to finish with a team-high 21 points and adding seven rebounds in a 103-94 loss Aug. 14. Two nights later, he scored the go-ahead layup with 24.3 seconds left, lifting Cleveland past Phoenix, 88-85. In April, Stevens signed a four-year contract with the Cavaliers, but it was a non-guaranteed deal. He'll be fighting for a roster spot in the coming weeks, and he's by no means a sure bet to make the team. But he came away from his trip to Las Vegas feeling as though he helped his cause. "I think I belong," Stevens told Cleveland.com. "I think I've proven that, 100 percent. I want to continue to prove it every day. My work is far from done." 300 Number of wins that Penn State had amassed all time at Beaver Stadium coming off its 44-13 vic- tory over Ball State in this year's home opener. Heading into a non-conference game against Auburn on Sept. 18, the Nit- tany Lions were 300-77 at their home field and were one of only nine FBS teams with 300 wins at their current stadium. Their winning percentage at Beaver Stadium — 79.5 — ranked sixth in the country. 105 , 323 Attendance for Penn State's home opener against Ball State. It was the first fully attended football game at PSU in 22 months and the school's best-attended home opener since 2008, when the Nittany Lions launched their season with a 66-10 victory over Coastal Carolina that was witnessed in person by 106,577 fans. Those who ventured to State College earlier this month got what they came for — the Lions romped past the Cardinals with a display of offensive versatility and defensive opportun- ism. Sean Clifford completed passes to 10 receivers, and Penn State's defense snagged a couple of Ball State throws, one of which senior linebacker/defensive end Jesse Luketa returned for a touchdown. The atmosphere was so electric that even Ball State coach Mike Neu couldn't help but be impressed. Neu had turned up the loudspeakers at the Cardinals' home field throughout the week leading up to the game in the hope of preparing his team for the noise. After two three-and-outs to open the game, the Cardinals adapted to the environment and enjoyed some suc- cess on offense, but they still fell handily. "The crowd was awesome," Neu said. "The student section was awesome at their end doing their part." By The Numbers PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL