Purdue leads Penn State 31-27 after one half at the Bryce Jordan Center. Here are some notes on the action so far.
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Jermaine Marshall has been a real spark off the bench for Penn State with six points in the half. He's been getting a lot of Tim Frazier's minutes at guard and he's making the most of them. Coach Ed DeChellis hasn't given Marshall a whole lot of playing time to this point, but with Taran Buie still suspended and the Lions in desparate need of a scorer outside of the big three, he must have been willing to give the red shirt freshman a shot.
- Penn State held E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson to eight combined points in the half. If they can carry that success in guarding those two over to the second half, it'll bode very well for the Lions.
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Talor Battle is only 2-11 from the field for four points at the half. With six NBA scouts in the building tonight, he'd do well to overcome the adversity to lift his team against one of the best teams in the country. He'll have to take better shots to do it, though.
- Penn State's man-to-man defense has looked rough for the better part of the last two games now. The Lions are doubling too often and leaving an open man on the perimeter and they're paying for it big time, tonight at the hands of Purdue's Ryne Smith who is 3-3 from deep.
- Andrew Jones has been active for Penn State with six first half points. He's been very quiet so far in the conference season, but has been looking for his shot this evening and has been rewarded. He'll need to keep up the good work in the second half if the Lions are going to have a chance.
- Jeff Brooks was held to four points in the half. It'd be nice to see him become a little more active.