UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team returns home to host an Emerald Coast Classic campus site matchup against St. Francis Brooklyn Thursday evening at 7 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.
FOLLOW ALONG
- VIDEO: B1G+
- RADIO: Penn State Sports Network with Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi – 103.7 FM & 1450 AM
- NATIONAL RADIO: Sirius XM – XM Ch. 390 | SXM App Ch. 980
- LIVE STATS: Live Stats
- GAME NOTES: Penn State Notes | St. Francis Brooklyn Notes
- TICKETS: Tickets
PROMOTIONS
- First-year Penn State students get in free. Must have Penn State student ID and enter through Gate A of the Bryce Jordan Center.
- Military Appreciation
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Basketball Game Day Parking
Stadium West, Jordan East, Porter North – Basketball parking map
- No charge with a valid Penn State parking permit
- $5.50 prepaid through ParkMobile (season packages available for each team for $5 per game) - https://psu.parkmobile.io/bryce-jordan-center
- $10 day-of-event without a valid permit or prepayment
- Higher rates may apply when athletics events coincide with non-athletics Bryce Jordan Center and Pegula Ice Arena events. Rates will vary and will be announced prior to each event.
ParkMobile prepayment availability ends at 11:59 p.m. the night before each event. Events will not be selectable on the site after that time, and payment must then be made on-site upon arrival to event parking staff (cash only). $1 per hour parking will also be available at the East Deck for most games. Non-football event parking is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information on parking for this event, please email parking@psu.edu or call 814-865-1436.
Mobile Ticketing
Penn State Athletics has converted all tickets for the 2021-22 seasons to mobile tickets. As was the case during the 2019-20 season, print at home PDF tickets will no longer be issued or accepted for entry at the Bryce Jordan Center. Fans can access Penn State Athletics mobile ticket guide at GoPSUsports.com/mobiletickets.
Bryce Jordan Center Bag Policy
The Bryce Jordan Center has implemented an updated bag policy for all events including the 2021-22 men's basketball season. Fans attending events in the Bryce Jordan Center will not be allowed to bring any large bags, backpacks, totes and coolers into the facility. Small clutch purses & wallets, clear totes or (1) one gallon, zip-close style plastic bags may be carried into the arena. Limit one bag per guest. View the full bag policy HERE.
Mask Policy
In alignment with University guidance, all fans will be required to wear masks in indoor areas and venues, including the Bryce Jordan Center.
OPENING TIPS
- Penn State returns home to host an Emerald Coast Classic campus site matchup against St. Francis Brooklyn Thursday night.
- Penn State won its season opener against Youngstown State, 75-59, before falling on the road to UMass in its most recent game Monday.
- Seth Lundy (18.5), Sam Sessoms (14.5) and John Harrar (12.0) are all averaging double-digit points through the first two games of the season. Harrar is averaging a double-double thanks to his team-best 13.0 rebounds per contest.
IF PENN STATE BEATS ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN
- The Nittany Lions would move to 2-0 at home this season and improve to 56-25 when playing the Bryce Jordan Center over the last six seasons.
- Penn State would improve to 3-0 all-time against St. Francis Brooklyn.
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
- The Terriers are 0-2 on the young season after falling at Wisconsin, 81-58, on Nov. 9 and dropping a 91-73 decision to St. Thomas (Minn.) at home on Saturday.
- Michael Cubbage leads the team with 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.
- Three other Terriers are averaging double-digit points in Trey Quartlebaum (12.0 ppg), Patrick Emilien (11.5 ppg) and Rob Higgins (10.0).
- The Terriers were predicted to finish seventh in the NEC preseason poll after completing the 2020-21 season with a 9-9 NEC record and 9-10 overall mark.
AGAINST ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN
- Penn State and St. Francis Brooklyn meet for the third time in program history and first since 2003, with the Nittany Lions holding a 2-0 record against the Terriers.
- Penn State won the most recent meeting, 68-54, inside the Bryce Jordan Center on Dec. 20, 2003.
- The two teams also met on Dec. 6, 1991 as part of the tournament field at the First Bank Classic in Milwaukee, with Penn State earning a 61-51 victory.
REBOUND MACHINE
- Graduate student John Harrar currently leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in Division I with 13.0 rebounds per game through the first two contests.
- Harrar is averaging a double-double through the first two games of the season with 12.0 points and 13.0 boards per contest. He leads the team with a 66.7 (10-15) FG%.
- Harrar is coming off a 2020-21 season that saw him earn All-Big Ten Honorable Mention laurels as he led the team with 8.8 rebounds per game and a 54.9 field goal percentage.
LUNDY'S LEAP
- Junior Seth Lundy is Penn State's leading scorer through the first two games of the season, averaging 18.5 points per game.
- Lundy notched his fifth-career 20-point game in the season opener against Youngstown State with a team-best 23 points on 9-of-15 (60%) shooting. He led Penn State once again Monday night at UMass with 14 points.
- Lundy is shooting 59.1 percent (13-22) from the field, 55.6 percent (5-9) from deep, and 100 percent (6-6) from the charity stripe through the first two games.
- He went off for 30-plus points on two occasions during his sophomore season - 32 vs. VCU on Dec. 2, 2020 and 31 at Maryland on March 7, 2021. He is one of just 16 Nittany Lions in program history to have two 30-plus point games, and has at least two more seasons of eligibility remaining.
SESSOMS' STEP UP
- Senior Sam Sessoms is another player that has stepped into a larger role this season, currently ranking second on the team with 14.5 points and 4.0 assists per game.
- Sessoms played in a key sixth-man role for the Nittany Lions last year after transferring in from an exceptional two-year career at Binghamton. He saw action in 24 games and tallied nine double-digit scoring efforts last season. He saved his best for last, scoring a season-high 18 points in Penn State's final game of the season against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament.
SHREWSBERRY ERA BEGINS WITH A WIN
- With fans back in the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time in 617 days, Peter and Ann Tombros Endowed Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry earned his first-career Division I head coaching victory when Penn State defeated Youngstown State 75-59 in last week's season opener.
UP NEXT
- Penn State remains home to host a currently undefeated Cornell team on Monday evening. Tipoff from the Bryce Jordan Center is slated for 6:30 p.m. and the game will air nationally on the Big Ten Network.