December 2012
Penn State Beaver Roar
Page 13
Sports
Lions take control of season early Dante Massey Staff Writer
dwm5299@psu.edu
Even with a crippled roster, the Nittany Lions men’s basketball team is off to a strong 7-2 record start, including a season-opening win at Washington and Jefferson College and a win over crosstown rival Geneva College at home. “For the most part, we’ve played well,” said Coach Marcess Williams, noting that his team has struggled with a range of injuries this season. One key player out since the opening game is Christopher Weathers, a junior and team captain. He sustained a fracture in his hip this season that is preventing him from playing, but he has hope. “Right now, I’m hopeful there might be a possibility of avoiding surgery,” Weathers said. “If that’s the case, I will be able to rehab my injury after I see the doctor over Christmas break. This will allow me to play the second half of the season.” Freshman Rob Agurs, sophomore Pat Horton, junior Nick Miller and, most recently, senior Marcus Allen have all been hit with injuries this fall. Agurs, Horton and Miller are all currently in play, while Allen just injured his ankle and is still being evaluated, Williams said. Williams said beating Geneva was good, “but the win at W&J was even bigger. It was the first game of the year, and it gave us the confidence we needed.” Beaver toppled Washington and Jefferson 80-69 on the road after leading the entire game. Agurs led offensively, with 25 points and 7 rebounds. Miller added 23 points and 4 assists, while Lamont Wright, a sophomore transfer student, had 10 points. Williams said these three players have been key all season. “Rob Agurs is having an unbelievable year. He’s leading the nation in scoring (in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association) with 24 points a game. Nick
THE ROAR /Dante Massey
Rob Agurs goes to rebound a missed shot by a fellow teammate during the showdown against Penn State Schuylkill on Dec. 7.
Miller’s not far behind him at 20 a game, and Lamont Wright is right behind him at 17,” Williams said. With Weathers absent from the Geneva game Nov. 20, several other players – Agurs, Miller, Wright and Horton – stepped up and carried the team to a win. Agurs led with 29 points in a fast-paced game that stacked up against the two teams’ previous match ups. Miller scored 23 points
and 3 assists. The Tornadoes consistently kept the game close, but they couldn’t defeat the Lion’s defense, giving the Lions an 88-81 win. The Lions won five of the six games after Geneva, boasting a 5-0 record in the Penn State University Athletic Conference. Most recently, they pulled off a tight overtime win at home Dec. 7 against Penn State Schuylkill 106-
To the far left, the Lions show their combined team efforts to out rebound Schuylkill during their game at home. To the immediate left, Pat Horton and Nick Miller combine their efforts on the offensive borders during the game against Schuylkill. THE ROAR/ Dante Massey
100, followed by a 79-62 win over Penn College Dec. 8. Miller said he feels that the team is on pace with where they should be and that the continued wins are a good sign they are steadily getting better.
“We are all key players on this team. We are a family, and we all put in the time and work,” Miller said. “We might not have the talent or athleticism as previous teams, but we have the drive to win.”