Courtesy of GoGriffs.com
Penn State had four players score in double-figures, led by senior Brandon Taylor and his team-high 18 points, and the host Nittany Lions outscored Canisius 50-28 in the paint en route to an 81-67 win Thursday night in Rec Hall in University Park, Pa. The win improved Penn State to 6-3 on the year, while the Golden Griffins have now dropped two straight to fall to 3-5 in 2015-16.
Canisius junior Phil Valenti led all scorers with 24 points in the loss for the Blue and Gold, which shot 33.8 percent from the field and 25.8 percent from 3-point land. Senior Malcolm McMillan had 10 points and six assists while sophomore Jermaine Crumpton came off the bench to add 10 points and three assists.
“We knew this was going to be a battle because they are a big, physical team and we were afraid their size up front was going to cause us trouble,” Canisius coach Jim Baron said.
Penn State opened the game by scoring the contest’s first eight points. Canisius’ first basket, a 3-pointer by McMillan, came 2:31 into the game and made the score 8-3 in favor of the Nittany Lions. Canisius trailed by eight at 17-9 with 10:24 left before halftime, but a 7-0 run by the Blue and Gold got Canisius within one at 17-16 with 6:26 left before intermission.
Penn State outscored Canisius 14-1 over the next 3:19 to stretch its lead to 31-17 with 3:15 left before the half.
Twelve of Taylor’s 18 points came from the free-throw line, and he was also credited with six rebounds. Sophomore Julian Moore was good for 14 points off the bench, while fellow sophomores Payton Banks and Shep Garner posted 11 points apiece.
Canisius trailed 40-25 at the halftime break, but the Griffs battled back into the game and trailed by just six at 50-44 with 12:24 after McMillan drained a 3-point field goal from the top of the key. From there, Penn State pulled away, using a 7-0 run over the game’s next 1:35 to push its cushion to 57-44 with 10:18 left to play.
“We didn’t really shoot it very well to start, but we finally played our game a bit after halftime,” Baron commented. “We were right there, we got within six, but then we made too many mistakes and allowed them to drive the ball at the basket and score.”
Penn State’s 50 points in the paint are the most for a Canisius opponent this season.
The Griffs, who entered the game ranked 10th nationally in offensive rebounds per game, were credited with 18 offensive boards. Senior Jamal Reynolds was credited with a team-high four rebounds off the offensive glass.
Penn State outscored Canisius 16-2 in fast break points.
The Nittany Lions, who entered the game shooting just 64.9 percent from the free-throw line as a team, shot 84.6 percent from the stripe on Thursday, going 22-for-26.
This was the third all-time meeting between the two programs, with Penn State leading the series 3-0.
This was Canisius’ first game in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic, and exempt event that wraps up Dec. 22-23 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Thursday’s game was part of Penn State’s “Return to the Rec” series, where the Nittany Lions play home games in Rec Hall, which was the program’s home court from 1926-1996. The win for Penn State in Rec Hall was the program’s first since Jan. 1996.
Valenti has now scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. He had a career-high 25 in the loss to Quinnipiac Dec. 5.
McMillan has been credited with a season-high six assists in three different games and in each of the Blue and Gold’s last two outings.
The 25 points in the first half stand as the fewest points in a 20-minute span for the Griffs this season.
Canisius will travel to play at Kent State Saturday, Dec. 10. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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