Young Nittany Lions Keep Rolling Behind Frazier in Win over Long Island

Story posted November 18, 2011 in CommRadio, Sports by Matt Trabold

Tim Frazier had a career night as Penn State (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) defeated Long Island (0-3, 0-0 Northeast) 77-68 Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The junior guard recorded his second double-double of in as many games, with 26 points and 10 assists. He now leads the Big Ten in scoring and assists with 20.7 points per game and 8.7 assists per game.

“You have to credit the kid,” said Long Island head coach Jim Ferry. “The kid is lightning. He is a one-man fast break and a one man wrecking crew in regards to breaking teams down.”

The win gives the Nittany Lions a 3-0 record for the second straight season and just the third time in the past 12 seasons. It also makes the team 2-0 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, which the team started on Monday with a win over Radford.

Frazier’s play was aided by the team’s other two captains. Senior swingman Cammeron Woodyard played well, scoring 13 points and adding six rebounds. And junior forward Billy Oliver found his shot down the stretch, knocking down a couple of clutch three-pointers while adding 10 rebounds, a point emphasized by Penn State head coach Pat Chambers.

“That is what we need out of Billy,” Chambers said. “Ten rebounds … that is fantastic.”

Despite Oliver’s shooting struggles early in the game, Chambers had no problem with his shot selection in the second half.

“That was a big three he hit in the corner,” said Chambers. “It takes a lot of guts to take that shot. There are other things you can do on the floor: rebounding, setting screens, diving, taking charges, and he earned the right to take that three.”

Sophomore guard Matt Glover and freshman forward gave the Blackbirds trouble all night on the defensive end. Glover was particularly impressive breaking up a fast break opportunity for Long Island guard C.J. Garner. The older members of the team have noticed the strong effort on defense.

“It’s just pure energy and effort with those two guys,” said Cammeron Woodyard. “Ross Travis is everywhere on the floor, diving over people to grab rebounds. Matt [Glover] is getting deflections on the ball, you see him diving on the floor.”

Long Island’s top performer on the night was bulky forward Julian Boyd, who recorded 15 points and four rebounds against the Nittany Lions. Guard Michael Culpo scored 15 points and added seven rebounds, while Gerell Martin scored 13 points off the bench.

Penn State continues the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Uncasville, Connecticut on Saturday. They will take on Kentucky at noon at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Matt Trabold is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email: mjt5203@psu.edu.