PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team will travel to Penn State for a Tuesday evening matchup against the Nittany Lions at 7 PM. The game will be televised on ESPN3.

La Salle Explorers (2-1) at Penn State Nittany Lions (2-1)
Tuesday, November 19, 2013 | 7 PM | Bryce Jordan Center

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Game Notes
La Salle | Penn State

Last Time Out
The La Salle men's basketball team celebrated Homecoming in style on Saturday afternoon, exciting the sell-out crowd that packed Tom Gola Arena with a 78-74 come-from-behind victory over Siena. The Explorers outscored the Saints 20-8 over the final 6:12 to nullify an eight-point deficit and secure the hard earned victory. Senior guard Tyreek Duren ignited the Explorer comeback, leading the team with 20 points (7-for-13 FG, 2-for-5 3-PT, 4-for-6 FT), including 12 points (4-for-5 FG, 2-for-2 FT) during the stretch run.

Homecoming
The trip will be a homecoming of sorts for senior Taylor Dunn, who grew up in State College, Pa. as his father, Jerry, was the head men's basketball coach at PSU from 1996-03. 
 
All-Time Series
La Salle is 3-1 against Penn State in program history, while Tuesday night's matchup marks the first time the game will be played at either teams home court. The teams met last season at the Palestra, with La Salle defeating  Penn State 82-57. The Explorers buried the Nittany Lions under a barrage of three-pointers, going 16-of-31 from beyond the arc in the contest, while outscoring the Nittany Lions 44-23 in the second half to coast to the runaway victory. Tyreek Duren scored a career-high 29 points in the game (9-of-13 FG, 4-of-7 3-PT, 7-of-8 FT), adding four assists.

Scouting the Explorers
La Salle is a averaging 80.3 points/game behind four players averaging double figures. Tyreek Duren leads the team with 18.0 points/game, trailed closely by Tyrone Garland at 17.0. Jerrell Wright comes in at 14.0 while Sam Mills is at 11.3.

Duren leads the A-10 in minutes/game (40.3) and ranks third in the league in assist/turnover ratio (5.0). He leads the Explorer guards in rebounding at 4.7 per game. Garland and Mills have both been deadly from the free throw line this season. Garland has knocked down 18 of 22 (82%) and Mills has buried 10 of 11 (91%). The Explorers rank fourth in the conference in free throw percentage (.733). 

Zack and Wright have both hit the boards hard, combining for 16.3 per game. Wright leads the squad with 9.0 per game and has recorded consecutive double-doubles. Zack leads the team in field goal percentage (.579) and has hauled in 7.3 rebounds/game.  

La Salle leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.0), ranks second in turnover margin (+5.33), and third in offensive rebounds (15.7). 
 
Scouting the Nittany Lions
Penn State enters Tuesday night's matchup with a 2-1 record, sandwiching a loss to Bucknell around two victories over Wagner and Penn. The Nittany Lions were downed by Bucknell at Bryce Jordan Center on November 13, giving up 90 points to Bison while allowing them to shoot 60.9% (28-for-46) from the field and 66.7% (10-for-15) from beyond the arc. Penn State responded well to the upset in their most recent contest, defeating Penn 83-71, while holding the Quakers to shooting 41.7% (20-for-48) from the field and 21.1% (4-for-19) from 3-PT range.
 
Penn State is buoyed by the return of All-Big Ten performer Tim Frazier. The senior point guard has not missed a beat in returning from an Achilles injury, which curtailed his 2012-13 season just four games in. He enters the matchup against the Explorers averaging 20.3ppg, while collecting 5.3rpg and dishing out 6.0apg. He also averages two steals per contest. He was fantastic at the Palestra on Saturday afternoon in the Nittany Lions 83-71 victory over the Quakers. He led all players, pouring in 29 points on a scintillating 9-of-13 shooting from the field, while going 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. He also dished out seven assists in the contest.
 
Redshirt junior guard D.J. Newbill compliments Frazier in the Nittany Lion backcourt to form one of the stronger duos in the Big Ten. The transfer from Southern Mississippi stepped up admirably in the absence of Frazier last season. He averaged 16.3ppg, while adding 4.0apg and 5.0rpg a season ago, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. He enters Tuesday averaging 18.3ppg in 2013-14, while he is the Nittany Lions leading rebounder, pulling down 6.7rpg. He netted 19 points (6-of-14 FG, 1-of-3 3-PT, 6-of-6 FT) and pulled in six rebounds in the victory over Penn.
 
The tandem of Ross Travis and Brandon Taylor patrols the frontcourt for the Nittany Lions. Taylor has seen his role increase substantially in his sophomore season. He has averaged just over 20 minutes a game so far this season, netting 11.3ppg and four rebounds per contest, while shooting a red-hot 59.1% from the field. Travis enters his third season at State College, having been a steady inside contributor for the Nittany Lions. He has averaged 34.7 minutes per game this season, scoring 10.3ppg and collecting 6.3 boards per contest.

Up Next
La Salle will travel to the Virgin Islands for Paradise Jam. They will open up the tournament against Morgan State on Friday, November 22 at 9 PM.