STATE COLLEGE, Pa. —
The 7-foot center raced out to midcourt to trap D.J. Newbill, typically not the best defensive matchup against Penn State’s quick guard.
But Cody Zeller is no normal 7-foot center. Indiana’s star sophomore stole the ball from Newbill and tracked down the loose ball for an open dunk.
The fifth-ranked Hoosiers used a big first-half run and poked and prodded the Nittany Lions defensively all game in a 74-51 victory Monday night.
“Sometimes when your shots aren’t there for you or your free throws aren’t there … as long as your defense is there, you’ve got a chance to stay in the game,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said.
Both facets of the Indiana’s run-and-gun game were on display when it counted most. The breakneck offense was rarely stopped in the first half before the pace slowed down in a sloppy second half.
It barely mattered after Indiana (14-1, 2-0 Big Ten) built a 19-point lead in the first half behind the inside-out game of Christian Watford (16 points) and the quick-release jumpers of Jordan Hulls (14 points).
No wonder Indiana had the top scoring offense in the nation (87.9 points) entering Monday night’s blowout.
But Crean credited his team’s effort on the other side of the court for the hot start.
“I thought our defense did a lot of that,” he said. “I think our guys were really locked in.”
Jermaine Marshall had 11 points for the Nittany Lions (8-6, 0-2), which had a five-game home winning streak snapped. Ross Travis added 14 points and five rebounds.
Penn State played with trademark hustle and found some success attacking the lane, but just couldn’t keep up with the quicker, more talented Hoosiers.
Shooting just 31 percent (19 of 60) hurt a lot, too.
“If you told me that we’d hold Indiana to 74 points, I’m telling you we’re in the game,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. “Our guys played hard, they tried. They competed. … The ball didn’t go down for us.”
They also had mismatch problems across the court with Crean’s collection of athletic Hoosiers.
For instance, not many teams feature a 7-foot center who can run the court as deftly as Zeller. His steal of Newbill early in the game typified Penn State’s frustrating night.
Zeller did land awkwardly after taking two disjointed steps, but he got up and looked fine running back up the court.
As if any more proof was needed, Zeller finished another break with a dunk for a 39-21 lead with 4:34 left in the first half. He finished with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Otherwise Indiana rarely got tripped up in a road tuneup for a showdown with No. 8 Minnesota in Bloomington on Saturday.
Penn State was at least able to keep up with Indiana on the glass, edging the Big Ten’s best team on the boards 35-33. Marshall had seven rebounds.
“Some of that was technique,” Crean said about losing the rebounding edge. “Some of that was just not rebounding the ball with two hands tonight.”
The Nittany Lions could have used a more traditional point guard to help withstand Indiana’s two-way onslaught, but star guard Tim Frazier could only watch from the bench in a crisp dark gray suit and walking boot on his left foot after suffering a season-ending injury in November.
So it’s Newbill, more of a combo guard, who must bear the brunt of the ball-handling responsibilities. He finished with eight points on 3-of-15 shooting and added six rebounds and three assists but committed five turnovers.
The slower pace in the second half played to Penn State’s favor after the teams combined for 15 turnovers over the first 9 minutes after halftime. Still, the Nittany Lions could never muster anything close to a consistent run, even before an energetic crowd with a healthy sprinkling of fans wearing Indiana red.
The Hoosiers’ lead didn’t dip below double digits in the second half. Indiana shot 52 percent (22 of 42) for the game, and Crean liked how his aggressive team got to the free throw line 34 times, though hitting just 64 percent.
“The huge thing for us tonight was getting to the foul line,” he said. “We can certainly shoot the ball better from the foul line, but we got to the foul line.”
Sports
IU rolls on road against Penn State
- Sports
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Softball sectionals
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Softball sectionals up for grabs
All three Vigo County high schools and Northview appear to have a realistic chance of winning sectional championships in softball this week.
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ISU baseball hoping Manaea can get its MVC Tournament moving in right direction
Indiana State’s baseball team has been waiting all season for its stars to align.
But this is the 2013 Sycamores, after all, and after a season in which seemingly little has gone right, it appears its stars will remain crossed at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. -
West Vigo softball holds off nemesis Edgewood in softball sectional
Ice cream was enough of a reward Monday night after the West Vigo Vikings beat eight-time defending champion Edgewood 6-2 in extra innings in the opening game of the Class 3A softball sectional at Edgewood High School. But that’s not what Vikings want.
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Rose to send 5 to national finals
Five Rose-Hulman athletes have qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships later this week at Wisconsin-LaCrosse.
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Terre Haute South, Northview vie for tennis regional title
Terre Haute South and Northview take respective records of 10-5 and 11-5 into the Greencastle Regional today.
Coach Bill Blankenbaker’s Braves will play Seeger at 4:30 p.m., while coach Emily Goff’s Knights will take on Crawfordsville about 6 p.m. -
500 field fills up quickly on Bump Day
In just over an hour, the field for the 2013 Indianapolis 500 was complete on Bump Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.
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Terre Haute North offense unable to get going in loss to Mooresville
Jack Kirchner chose to give credit Monday night to Mooresville pitcher Taylor Chitwood, not to the Greg Maddux-size strike zone she seemed to enjoy.
But if there were no excuses forthcoming from Kirchner and his Terre Haute North High School softball team, it wouldn’t have been hard to find a spectator or two to come up with extenuating circumstances about the Patriots’ 4-1 loss at the Class 4A Martinsville Sectional. -
Terre Haute North looking strong going into girls track regional
Terre Haute North might need an off night for anyone to catch them in the girls track regional at Evansville Central.
The Patriots are as well-rounded as they’ve ever been, and two relay teams are state contenders with times ranking No. 2 in Indiana among times recorded all spring.
Terre Haute South, Northview and Sullivan have athletes among the contenders in multiple events as well. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Shakamak's Green hits two homers in win over West Vigo
Shakamak improved to 22-3 on the season behind a complete-game effort from Brett Yeryar, and Patrick Green hit two solo home runs in a high school baseball game Monday.
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ISU's athletic treasure trove
Think of every championship that Indiana State has won in each of its sports, past and present. Think of every tournament — postseason or regular season — which the Sycamores have claimed as their own.
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Softball sectionals up for grabs
- Local Interest
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Softball sectionals
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Softball sectionals up for grabs
All three Vigo County high schools and Northview appear to have a realistic chance of winning sectional championships in softball this week.
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Indiana State baseball series canceled
Heavy rain from Thursday through Saturday has forced Indiana State and Tennessee Martin to cancel their three-game weekend baseball series in northwest Tennessee.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman baseball to play DePauw on Thursday after Tuesday's rain
The Rose-Hulman baseball team has rescheduled its non-conference game with DePauw to Thursday night.
The start time remains 7 p.m. for the single nine-inning game that was originally scheduled for today. Tuesday’s scheduled Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game at Anderson was moved to Sunday because of rain. -
Vigo County Youth Soccer Association to host Indiana Soccer Cup Games
The Vigo County Youth Soccer Association will welcome more than 7,000 people to its Springhill Drive facility through two tournaments in the next five weeks.
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METRO ROUNDUP: North, South well-represented on All-Star teams
Two Terre Haute schools, two Terre Haute coaches and four Terre Haute All-Stars.
When it comes to the 21st Annual North-South All-Star Classic on April14 at Rose-Hulman, it would be hard to discern any North-South bias.
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Softball sectionals up for grabs
- High School
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Softball sectionals up for grabs
All three Vigo County high schools and Northview appear to have a realistic chance of winning sectional championships in softball this week.
- West Vigo softball holds off nemesis Edgewood in softball sectional
- Terre Haute South, Northview vie for tennis regional title
- Terre Haute North offense unable to get going in loss to Mooresville
- Terre Haute North looking strong going into girls track regional
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- College
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ISU track sending record 22 to postseason
On the heels of their thrilling double victory at the 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships both the Indiana State men and women moved up in the national rankings which were released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
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ISU baseball hoping Manaea can get its MVC Tournament moving in right direction
Indiana State’s baseball team has been waiting all season for its stars to align.
But this is the 2013 Sycamores, after all, and after a season in which seemingly little has gone right, it appears its stars will remain crossed at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. -
ISU's athletic treasure trove
Think of every championship that Indiana State has won in each of its sports, past and present. Think of every tournament — postseason or regular season — which the Sycamores have claimed as their own.
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Ort sets ISU RBI record in 16-7 win
Robby Ort celebrated his Indiana State baseball Senior Day on Saturday by becoming the Sycamores’ all-time leader in RBIs as ISU ended its regular season with a 16-7 win over Bradley at Bob Warn Field.
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Bradley ends 16-game MVC losing streak against ISU
Momentum was the only thing riding on Indiana State’s baseball game against Bradley on Friday. With a five-game winning streak going, ISU wanted to keep the good vibes going into next week’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
ISU couldn’t do it.
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ISU track sending record 22 to postseason
- Sports Columns
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Shooters compete to fight cancer
A team of employees at Taghleef, formally A.E.T, would like to give a personal invite for you to join in on a lot of fun while helping save lives.
Cindy and Mark Wilguess are the inspiration behind the Taghleef Team. Cindy herself fought this battle with cancer and won. Last year she led her team to be the No. 1 fundraisers in the Relay for Life. - TILL IT'S OVER: Terre Haute Triathlon's new race director seeks more events for his hometown
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Shooters compete to fight cancer
- Pro Sports
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Colts hoping for more high marks on draft picks
A year ago, the Indianapolis Colts received high marks for the impact players the team added through the NFL draft.
Of the 10 players selected, five ended up either starting or seeing extensive playing time (quarterback Andrew Luck, tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and running back Vick Ballard) during the Colts’ 11-5 season.
While this year’s class may not rival that group in terms of name recognition and flash, it may produce just as many major contributors once the 2013 season gets underway. - Colts in wait-and-see mode for tonight’s NFL draft
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Colts hoping for more high marks on draft picks
- Terre Haute Rex
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Consultation: Rex manager Brian Dorsett talks with his pitcher and players during a time-out Sunday, July 15, at Sycamore Field. (Tribune-Star file/Bob Poynter)
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2012 an up, down season for Rex
The Terre Haute Rex went through plenty of trials and tribulations during the summer of 2012.
The team got off to a sluggish start to settle for third place during the first half of the Prospect League race, but manager Brian Dorsett rallied the troops to a second-half title. - Metro Roundup: Dorsett, Rex players honored in Prospect League postseason awards
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2012 an up, down season for Rex
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Colts' coordinators enjoying getting rookies acclimated
While the Indianapolis Colts put their rookies and a handful of second-year players through workouts this weekend at the team’s Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, a pair of first-year coordinators are getting a chance to do some valuable on-field work as well.
- Werner, 36 others open Colts’ mini camp
- Colts hoping for more high marks on draft picks
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Colts' coordinators enjoying getting rookies acclimated
- Auto Racing
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Carpenter arrives as Indy 500 threat
And the crowd went wild.
Not only did Ed Carpenter win the pole for the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500, he is the hometown son. Carpenter, the stepson of Tony George, completed his rookie orientation in 2004 and has spent the last several years, proving he deserved to be the IZOD IndyCar Series. There is no questioning his credentials now. - Carpenter wins Indy 500 pole
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Carpenter arrives as Indy 500 threat





