Penn State Beats Marshall 90-77

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Donovan Jack's 18 points, seven blocked shots and seven rebounds enabled Penn State to race past Marshall 90-77 on Saturday.

D.J. Newbill scored 17 points while Brandon Taylor and Tim Frazier each added 10 as the Nittany Lions rebounded after back-to-back losses to Mississippi and Pittsburgh.

The Nittany Lions (7-3) have scored 70 points in all but one of their games this season and their transition offense built as much as a 26-point lead before Marshall closed the gap late.

Jack's seven blocks were the most in a game by a Penn State player since 1999, and his team-high seven rebounds allowed Penn State to win that battle as well against the Thundering Herd (4-5) 47-40.

Penn State shot 48.5 percent overall, as its 53 percent effort in the first half enabled the Lions to race out to a 47-32 halftime edge.

The Nittany Lions were able to work under the baskets with numerous slam dunks off of fast breaks or their 13 offensive rebounds, and their front-court of Travis, Jack and Taylor scored 48 points.

The Thundering Herd entered the game scoring 85.8 points per game, good for 20th among NCAA statistical leaders, but couldn't generate a consistent offensive pace against Penn State, shooting 39.4 percent overall.

Kareem Canty scored 28 points for Marshall, which was slowed by eight first-half turnovers and a 7 for 13 effort from the foul line.

Canty's successful 40-foot heave at the first-half buzzer brought Marshall to within 47-32 but the Thundering Herd were unable to push any momentum forward.

Elijah Pittman added 10 points for Marshall, well under his 23-point scoring average. He had converted 27 3-pointers in eight games for the Thundering Herd but connected on just one against the Lions.

Marshall opened with 1 for 11 shooting before an 11-2 run to pull to within 13-11 early but Penn State ran off seven straight points and the Herd never recovered.

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