Penn State might be OK from three point territory after all.
The Nittany Lions used a barrage of deep shots to beat Furman at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday afternoon, 70-49
In their final tuneup for an ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup with Maryland, Penn State looked excellent at both ends of the floor. The Lions hit 12-19 threes for 63% and shot 54% overall. On defense, they held their opponent under 50 points for the second time this year after surrendering a season high 84 at Mississippi on Friday night.
Talor Battle led Penn State in scoring with 19 points. Teammates David Jackson and Jeff Brooks chipped in 13 and 16 respectively. All three players continue to play at a high level for the Nittany Lions so far, and will be important pieces moving forward.
Sophomore guard Tim Frazier stepped up for Penn State as well on Sunday. After a couple of quiet game, Frazier was active on both sides of the ball, scoring four points and dishing out five assists but also registering four steals, six rebounds and a blocked shot.
The Lions got a little sloppy in the second half, which led to 14 turnovers, however, other than that, it was one of Penn State's best showings of the year. Despite the set-back at Ole Miss, Penn State is clicking in both ends as well as it has at any point since its NIT Championship season in 2008-2009.
The Nittany Lions can now put their focus squarely on Maryland on Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. The defending ACC co-champs bring a couple losses to Happy Valley, but will still be a very tough out for Penn State. The Terps will also be an important opportunity for Penn State to pick up a key non-conference win for their tournament resume.
One final note. With a second half rebound today, Talor Battle became the first player in Penn State history to score 1,000 points, pull down 500 rebounds and dish out 400 assists in his career. Just an amazing accomplishment for a player coach Ed DeChellis has called a great ambassador for the program.