Men’s Basketball Stays Strong against DePaul, 68-62
Penn State men’s basketball (2-0) trounced DePaul (1-1) 68-62 this past Tuesday at home in the Bryce Jordan Center. This game represented a true team effort that was fueled by adrenaline and a hunger to win. Having an incredibly solid recruiting class for this year, Head Coach Patrick Chambers said time and time again that he expects this season to be one of Penn State basketball’s best.
“As a coach, you’re always looking for that perfection and we were close… It looks like there’s some cohesion out there, especially in the first few minutes,” said Coach Chambers of his team’s smooth plays this week.
Senior forward Brandon Taylor (Tabernacle, N.J.) scored 22 points against DePaul, with 19 of those occurring in the electrifying second half.
“I just try to keep focus the whole time…My teammates did a great job of finding me and giving me the ball,” said Taylor of his standout second half performance.
Another star of the game was sophomore guard Shep Gardner (Chester, Pa.), who notched 16 points for the Nittany Lions. Gardner’s intuitive plays allowed him to cinch seven of those points in the final two minutes of the game. Those seven points were key in allowing the Nittany Lions to sail comfortably past the DePaul Blue Demons and snag the win.
Highly anticipated freshman guard Josh Reaves (Fairfax, Va.) and sophomore forward Payton Banks (Orange, Calif.) lived up to their standards by adding 10 points each to Penn State’s winning score of 68.
Reaves noted that he has started to become more comfortable on the college court since his first college points last week against the Virginia Military Institute.
“Last game, that being my first points of college basketball, it took a lot of pressure off of me. I was told that I was smiling most of the game. It just felt good that I got that pressure and that burden off of my chest,” commented Reaves.
Penn State men’s basketball heads to Duquesne this Friday to claim another victory.
Coach Chambers feels good about this upcoming season and said that he and his guys will continue doing everything necessary to keep up their energy and success: “The goal is to embrace this process, continue to get better, and prepare ourselves for the Big Ten.”
“As a coach, you’re always looking for that perfection and we were close… It looks like there’s some cohesion out there, especially in the first few minutes,” said Coach Chambers of his team’s smooth plays this week.
Senior forward Brandon Taylor (Tabernacle, N.J.) scored 22 points against DePaul, with 19 of those occurring in the electrifying second half.
“I just try to keep focus the whole time…My teammates did a great job of finding me and giving me the ball,” said Taylor of his standout second half performance.
Another star of the game was sophomore guard Shep Gardner (Chester, Pa.), who notched 16 points for the Nittany Lions. Gardner’s intuitive plays allowed him to cinch seven of those points in the final two minutes of the game. Those seven points were key in allowing the Nittany Lions to sail comfortably past the DePaul Blue Demons and snag the win.
Highly anticipated freshman guard Josh Reaves (Fairfax, Va.) and sophomore forward Payton Banks (Orange, Calif.) lived up to their standards by adding 10 points each to Penn State’s winning score of 68.
Reaves noted that he has started to become more comfortable on the college court since his first college points last week against the Virginia Military Institute.
“Last game, that being my first points of college basketball, it took a lot of pressure off of me. I was told that I was smiling most of the game. It just felt good that I got that pressure and that burden off of my chest,” commented Reaves.
Penn State men’s basketball heads to Duquesne this Friday to claim another victory.
Coach Chambers feels good about this upcoming season and said that he and his guys will continue doing everything necessary to keep up their energy and success: “The goal is to embrace this process, continue to get better, and prepare ourselves for the Big Ten.”
