Penn State basketball is headed back to Rec Hall yet again, but this time for two games the program announced on Tuesday.
The Nittany Lions will take on Canisius and Louisiana-Monroe Dec. 10 and 12, respectively, as part of the second Return to Rec.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to take our program and fans back to Rec Hall for two games this season,” Patrick Chambers, Nittany Lion head coach, said. “It is such a storied venue and holds the opportunity to create an incredible atmosphere. I need to thank the administration and my fellow coaches who call Rec Hall home for making this second Return to Rec possible.”
Tickets for both games played at Rec Hall will be included in the season ticket package, available now from 1-800-NITTANY or online
The Nittany Lions last played in the old arena in 2013 against Princeton, marking the first basketball game in the venue since 1996. Penn State has since played across campus at the Bryce Jordan Center for both men’s and women’s games.
Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, the so called Return To Rec in 2013 was minutes away from being a perfect event before Princeton erased a late double digit lead to upend Penn State in overtime. Head coach Pat Chambers would later note that the loss was a point in the season the team never truly recovered from.
Even so, the event was wild successful with a sellout crowd an a large student body that reminded many of the Nittany Lion faithful of why Rec Hall was long considered one of the loudest venues in college basketball.
With two high interest games in the mix, Penn State will look to repeat the success of 2013’s event with a much more positive ending for the Nittany Lions. In addition the program is looking to continue to improve on the nation’s fifth-largest increase in average attendance from the 2013-14 season to 2014-15 campaign. That figure marks an improvement of 1,787 fans per game over the previous year.
Penn State’s full non conference schedule was also announced on Tuesday and can be seen below:
November 14: VMI
November 17: DePaul
November 20: Duquesne, CONSOL Energy Center
November 24: Radford
November 28: Bucknell
December 2: Boston College, Conte Forum (B1G/ACC Challenge)
December 5: Eastern Michigan
December 8: George Washington, Charles E. Smith Center
December 10: Canisius, Rec Hall (Las Vegas Classic)
December 12: Louisiana – Monroe, Rec Hall (Las Vegas Classic)
December 14-18: FINALS WEEK
December 19: Drexel, The Palestra
December 22: Colorado, Orleans Arena (Las Vegas Classic)
December 23: SMU/Kent State, Orleans Arena (Las Vegas Classic)
