Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/210507
M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L Notebook: Lions open 2013-14 campaign NAT E BAU E R For Penn State men's basketball head coach Patrick Chambers, good starts haven't been an issue. Tipping off the 2013-14 campaign with a 74-62 victory against Wagner College on Nov. 9 at the Bryce Jordan Center, the Nittany Lions improved to 3-0 in season openers under Chambers and, as a program, extended their streak in openers to nine. With four true freshmen, two transfers and one very important senior point guard in the mix this season, Chambers is attempting to coax victories out of a talented but unseasoned group of players. The Nittany Lions' opener featured plenty of ragged moments to go along with the highlights, and Chambers was satisfied to walk off the hardwood with a win, regardless of the opponent. "I just said to the team that the first game is always the toughest. I don't care who you play," he said. "The last three years, the first game has always been the toughest. I would say firstgame jitters [were apparent], unfortunately. They're trying to play perfect, but they just have to go out there and play and relax." Against the Seahawks, a team that Chambers expects to make the NCAA Tournament coming out of the Northeast Conference in March, the Nittany Lions received a scare. Penn State built a 32-20 halftime lead, but the Seahawks opened the second half with a 10-1 run to trim that lead to just one point. Relying heavily on guards Tim Frazier and D.J. Newbill, the Lions responded by scoring 11 of the game's next 15 points and were | NBAUER@BLUEWHITEONLINE.COM ON THE BALL Frazier returns for his final season at Penn State. He debuted with 25 points in PSU's opening win over Wagner. Tim Owen ahead by double-digits, 54-41, with eight minutes to play. Afterward, Chambers said his team would need to persevere in closing out future games, but he was able to find a positive takeaway in the Lions' ability to "answer the bell" when called upon in the key moments of their opener. "We got a little sloppy at the end. I'd THE MAIN EVENT - PENN STATE like to see us finish games a little bit better, he said, citing the Nittany Lions' 30" for-43 performance from the free throw line. "But I think we got stops when we needed to get stops, rebounds when we needed to get rebounds. " Chambers predicted that Wagner's potent offense would go on to finish the season averaging 80 or more points per VS. BUCKNELL (WED. - 7:05 P.M.) Penn State hosts Bucknell at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at the Bryce Jordan Center. It is the 101st meeting between the two teams. The Nittany Lions have a 12-game winning streak in the all-time series after a 60-57 win last season. Picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League, Bucknell enters the season with two starters and 11 letterwinners from the 2012-13 team that won 28 games, regular-season and tournament league titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. N O V E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 1 3 11 B LUE WH I T E ON L I N E .COM