Despite a cold shooting start, Penn State improved to 6-2 with a 62-54 victory over Boston College in the Big Ten ACC Challenge on Wednesday night.
The Nittany Lions were led by sophomore forward Jermaine Marshall, who provided Penn State with a much-needed spark off the bench, scoring a career high 22 points. Many of Marshall’s points came during crucial stretches of the first half when the Nittany Lions were struggling to create offense.
Marshall, who started the season in Coach Pat Chambers’ dog house, has played solid basketball since his return to the team. His play-making ability and craftiness around the basket has led Chambers to dub him ‘The X-Factor’ in regard to the Nittany Lions’ success this year. Those skills were evident during the closing stages of the first half as Marshall scored Penn State’s final 10 points of the half. Several other Nittany Lions struggled in foul trouble.
Penn State once again got key contributions from junior guard Tim Frazier, who logged 22 points, five assists and four rebounds. The usually sure-handed Frazier struggled though and committed seven turnovers, which kept him from his usual level of production.
However, that didn’t stop Frazier from making plays when his team needed him most. With 13 minutes left in the game, and down by six, the struggling Frazier drove to the hoop, was fouled and was able to hang in the air just long enough to make the basket. Hitting the free throw that followed closed the Nittany Lion deficit to three and proved to be the turning point in the game.
For Chambers, the game played in Chestnut Hill, Mass., marked the first-year head coach’s homecoming to his native area of Boston. Coincidentally enough, Boston College Coach Steve Donahue has been a long-time friend of Chambers, which made the game feel all the more welcoming.
Penn State’s victory helped the Big Ten clinch the conference’s third straight victory of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Nittany Lions now move on to 6-2 and travel home to play a talented 5-1 Ole Miss team that defeated Penn State last season in Oxford, Miss.
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