Final Stats - Click to Enlarge20:00 - Penn State corrals the opening tip. First half is underway.
19:32 - "Tiny" Tim Frazier comes up big on PSU's opening possession with a three ball. 3-0 State.
17:40 - Andrew Jones slams it home to make it 8-0 Nittany Lions. PSU is exploiting the mismatch down low early on in the first half.
16:20 - Talor Battle continues to light it up at home from deep as he converts on a long three-ball. PSU leads 11-2.
16:05 - GWU's C.J. Hailey counters with a long two. PSU still on top 11-4.
MEDIA TIMEOUT: Quick PSU Women's Volleyball national title game update: Texas leads two sets to none early. Not a good sign for Penn State as the team tries for a record 3rd straight national championship.
14:21 - Shot clock winds down but a poised Talor Battle finds the bottom of the net from downtown.
13:56 - Easy finger roll for Jackson. Too easy. Penn State looks well-rested and in control in the friendly confines of the BJC. 17-4 Lions.
13:05 - Chris Babb gets in on the action. He surprisingly came into the game as PSU's worst three-point shooter. Starting to show his prowess once again. Good signs all around as PSU is in front 20-4.
11:03 - Andrew Ott goes 3/4 from the charity stripe and then forces a turnover on Brandon Jackson's errant pass.
9:57 - GWU's Jonathan Moore ends a horrific scoring drought for the Runnin' Bulldogs with a three to end a 19-0 Nittany Lion run spanning over six minutes. 30-7 Penn State.
7:32 - Nits lead 32-10 as we reach another timely media timeout for Gardner-Webb. This team is out of sync right now and needs a spark. Plenty of time for GWU to narrow the deficit before recess. As of now, Battle and Frazier lead PSU with eight points apiece.
6:03 - Talor Battle's steal plus the flush gives PSU a 26-point advantage at 36-10. It's fair to say we are witnessing a first-half blowout for the first time this season at the Jordan Center. Battle has 10 points on 4-6 from the field. Team overall is showcasing its resilience after a lot of criticism after a poor shooting display from the field and the line in the 66-64 loss to VA Tech a week ago. Penn State looking good right now at 59% from the field and 9-11 from FT.
3:36 - The story of this first half has been runs. These so-called "Runnin' Bulldogs" have been letting the Lions run all night. Penn State put together a 19-0 run early and GWU's Anton Silver just nailed two FT's to end a 9-0 Lion run. 41-12 PSU. It was essential for PSU to come out strong after already suffering four losses in non-conference. With only GWU tonight and American left to go prior to Big Ten play, Ed DeChellis needed to set the tone this week at practice. Looks like his team has responded as it currently sports a 29-point lead.
1:36 - Quick 7-0 GWU run put the sparse Nittany Lion crowd on their heels for the first time of the night, but Battle provides the reassurance that Penn State has a handle on this one. Another Battle three gives PSU a 44-17 advantage.
HALFTIME is upon us at the Jordan Center. Snow is falling outside and the shots have been for Penn State (50%) as well. Not so much on the Runnin' Bulldog side (27%). Nittany Lions claim a 20-point lead at the break after GWU's Silver connects on a three with only four seconds to go. Here's some quick numbers from the first half:
===============================
Penn State Nittany Lions:
BATTLE: 5-9 from field, 3-6 from three, 13 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast
FRAZIER: 2-6 from field, 5-6 from FT, 10 pts 3 ast 2 reb
JONES: 2-2, 5 pts
BABB: 2-3, 5 pts 6 reb
BROOKS: 1-1 from 3pt, 3 pts 5 reb
Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs:
SILVER: 2-2 from 3pt, 8 pts
HAILEY: 2-3, 6 pts 1 stl 1 blk
HENLEY: 2-4, 4 pts 6 reb 2 ast
FLITTNER: 1-6, 3 pts 1 reb
MOORE: 1-3, 3 pts, 3 turnovers
===============================
Phenomenal job by ComRadio's own John Walk and Ryan Staloff on the call. Chances are...if you are listening to this game, snow is falling on the other side of your windows. Just kick back, relax and tune in to comradio.psu.edu for the 2nd half call and follow this blog for the next hour or so. I can guarantee you will like what you see from our side of the deal...will Penn State hold their end of the bargain. Listen in and find out!
===============================
20:00 - Second half underway.
19:49 - Silver hits double figures as he nails a jumper to give him 10 points and cut the PSU lead to 18. GWU will need to work quickly if they intend on getting back into the ball game.
18:42 - Battle counters with a back-breaking three ball to give him 16 points on the evening. The Bulldogs can ill-afford to trade buckets. 47-26 PSU.
17:17- Frazier adding to the misery of GWU as he draws the foul and converts on both the layup and the ensuing FT. Penn State comfortably in front, 52-26, as Frazier has netted 13 points thus far.
15:58 - Official TV timeout. ESPN-U probably expected a better showing from the PSU crowd than the team (not saying much) but is getting the polar opposite. Penn State has been money all night on the court.
15:23 - Drew Jones persevering on the floor as he corralled Battle's missed three pointer for the easy putback. Easy buckets galore for PSU tonight. Christmas come early? 58-31. Gotta feel for these Bulldogs. GWU getting shellacked again tonight and on its way to its 7th straight loss after starting the 2009-10 campaign 3-0. Just a note: five of those six defeats for GWU have been by double digits.
13:15 - More points off turnovers for Penn State as a Tim Frazier steal leads to an Andrew Ott finish on the other end to give PSU a 63-31 lead. Largest lead of the game at 32 points! Didn't think this team had it in them.
12:57 - Lone bright spot for Gardner-Webb tonight has been Anton Silver, who has put together a nice outing with 15 points on 5-6 shooting off the bench. He just nailed another jumper but his admirable effort will most likely not be enough as PSU still leads 65-33. Official attendance for tonight's game is 4,697. Looks to be a lot less than that.
10:41 - Ott coming into his own a bit on this night. Arguably his best offensive output in his career so far with the Lions. The Villanova transfer just converted on a three-point play to help Penn State hit 70 on the scoreboard. 37 point lead. Ott has eight points.
9:18 - Freshman Bill Edwards drains a three to give him six points tonight. 73-36 Lions.
7:54 - Media timeout. Penn State is on cloud nine right now as it leads 78-42. Only one question looms: Does Penn State have 100 points in them for once?
5:14 - Final Update from Tampa: Penn State, despite falling into an 0-2 set deficit, finds a way to hold off No. 2 Texas for a five-set victory. Third-straight National Championship and second-straight undefeated season. This team truly exemplifies perfection. Props to them. Nittany Lion basketball not too shabby either this evening, up 93-50. 100 is within the realm of possibility. Sasa Borovnjak hits two FT to get on the board.
4:31 - Two straight buckets on consecutive possessions for PSU reserves Billy OIiver and Cam Woodyard. Eddie is emptying the bench.
3:44 - Penn State out in front 99-54 after a make by Sasa. It will be pretty sad if PSU fails to reach the century mark now.
3:31 - Edwards nails one from behind the arc to help Penn State register its first (and likely only) 100-point showing of the season. The last time PSU dropped 100+ on an opponent was nearly three years ago; on December 30, 2006, the Lions downed VMI at the BJC 129-111.
:00 - No contest. Penn State (7-4) thrashes Gardner-Webb, 104-57 behind a stellar shooting performance. Six Lions (Battle, Frazier, Jones, Ott, Edwards and Babb) hit double figures as PSU shoots 53% from the field, 46% from three-point land and 88% from the stripe. GWU's Anton Silver leads all scorers with 26 points on 9-13 shooting. Battle registers another strong effort with 21 points and 5 boards in the win over the Runnin' Bulldogs (3-7).
So--for John Walk, Ryan Staloff, our board operator Dan-Landers-Nolan and our entire ComRadio crew, this is Pete Jensen saying so long from Happy Valley. Truly an eventful evening for the Nittany Lion faithful. Penn State reaches the century mark for the first time since 2006 and women's volleyball takes home national hardware for the third straight season. Thanks for following. Be sure to tune in this Monday night as Staloff and Walk have the call once again as Penn State takes on American (2-8) at 5:00 p.m. EST. Pregame gets underway at 4:30.
Good night everybody. Stay warm out there.
- Pete Jensen
No comments:
Post a Comment