Penn State tops George Washington

D.J. Newbill scored 20 points, Brandon Taylor added 17 and Penn State defeated George Washington 64-51 Sunday for its eighth straight win.

Penn State was solid from beyond the arc in the first half, relying on their 3-point shooters to keep them in the game. George Washington, on the other hand, only attempted three 3-pointers in the first half and relied mostly on their inside game to keep pace.

George Washington started the game 7 of 11 from the field, but the Colonials began to cool down late in the first half as Penn State started to pull away on the backs of D.J. Newbill and Shep Garner. Newbill, the seventh leading scorer in the country, led the way with 12 points and two rebounds in the first half. Garner, a freshman, added eight points, including two 3-pointers.

GW finished the half 3 for 13 from the floor due to a combination of bad shots and solid defense from the Nittany Lions. That also included a four-minute drought from the floor for the Colonials. Juniors Patricio Garino and Kevin Larsen were George Washington’s most productive players in the first half as Larsen put up 8 points and 7 rebounds while Garino added 7 points and 4 rebounds.

The halftime score was still close, however, with Penn State holding onto a 34-28 lead.

As the second half began Penn State continued to pull away and increase their lead. Newbill and Garner continued to score, while junior Brandon Taylor exploded for 17 points, hitting 3 of 6 from 3-point range and adding eight rebounds.

Penn State led the entire second half and finished off George Washington, winning handily 64-51.

Newbill led the effort for the Nittany Lions finishing with 20 points, three rebounds and four assists. Taylor and Garner added 17 and 10 points respectively.

Larsen and Garino led the Colonials in scoring, both finishing with 15 points, while Larsen added 13 rebounds.

Penn State’s defense was the story of the game, with 11 blocked shots and 7 steals, forcing George Washington out of the paint and into more long range shots, which is not the Colonials offensive strength. Penn State also out-rebounded the Colonials, 40 to 35. PSU was also a perfect 9 for 9 from the free throw line.

The Nittany Lions will shift focus to completing their finals then return to action next Saturday, Dec. 20, against the Drexel Dragons.