Penn State is looking to put its last two games behind it and get back in the win column as the Nittany Lions head to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne on Saturday.
Duquesne (5-4) is coming off a loss to Robert Morris, but Pat Chambers is still worried about the Dukes style of play.
“They play up-tempo, theyre going to press us. We need to do a better job handling the pressure and taking care of the basketball,” Chambers said on Friday. “We have to attack, dunk the ball, and shoot open three when they are there.
“Every now and then we, we will have to change up our tempo, but for the most part we are going to try to slow the game down and chew up some clock.”
Penn State lost by four points to Lafayette on Wednesday. It was an all-around ugly game for the Nittany Lions, but two statistics stood out - 3 of 23 and 16 of 26.
Those would be the shooting numbers from behind the arc, and at the charity stripe, respectively.
Hitting just 13 percent from three and 61 percent from the line isn’t going to win you any games, yet Penn State lost by just four.
“I don’t think we took a step back against Lafayette, we just didn’t make shots,” said Pat Chambers. “With the youthful team that we have, sometimes its just going to be two steps forward one step back. I've just got to keep working, teaching, and developing these guys, and we have to keep growing as a team.”
Tim Frazier had an unspeakably bad game, going 0 for 12 from the field with an uncharacteristic five turnovers for Penn State’s leading scorer.
Chambers said he would have preferred the Houston native be 0 for 20.
“He is passing up shots, and the reason he’s got five turnovers is because he isn’t shooting or he is indecisive,” he said. “Tim has got to be our leading scorer. He has to think shot first, and when he does that he will see open guys to make the right pass.
“We’re also doing such a good job offensive rebounding, get the shot up there and it can be as good as an assist.”
Originally suspended from the team, Jermaine Marshall has come on strong of late, going for 20 against the Leopards. The sophomore from Etters, Pa. has gone for double-digit points the past three contests and has forced Chambers to insert him into the starting lineup.
“Jermaine has come a long way, he is really starting to understand what we are doing as a team,” praised Chambers. “He isn’t going to dazzle you with his shot or his speed, but somehow, someway he gets his shots up and gets to the line. That’s what we need him to do, to be our consistent second scorer, and he can be that guy for us.”
Penn State looks to get freshman [b[Trey Lewis[/b] back after missing out due to an ankle injury. While Lewis could have been an asset in the loss on Wednesday, having him at 100% and on the floor is a boost for the Nittany Lions.
The game will tip at 7 PM from the Consol Energy Center, but will not be televised.
- Andrew Dzurita
- Contributor - Lions247