M. Hoops | Fighting for a name

For all the Penn students who have ever received Penn State gear as a graduation gift, Quakers basketball can be a source of retribution.

Coming into tonight's matchup at the Palestra, Penn holds a commanding 31-12 edge over the school that has plagued its name recognition for so long.

(See: The 1979 NCAA Tournament, when the Quakers' Final Four-bound Dream Team was branded Pennsylvania State University by a series of banners and commentators.)

The intrastate rivals' last battle was on Nov. 23, 2002, a game that truly exemplified the competitive imbalance, culminating in a 62-37 Quakers win.

But Penn coach Glen Miller likes to point out the date on that game: 2002 - almost six years ago to the day.

"[Penn State] is a high-major program and one that's been on the rise recently," he said.

"They're off to a 4-0 start. They finished strong last year in the Big Ten. Whatever past history has been, I don't think it applies to the matchup [tonight]."

The Nittany Lions are indeed on a roll. With a 20-point rout of New Hampshire on Sunday, they have won nine straight home games, the program's longest streak in 12 years.

Pushing Penn State to this success is a handful of backcourt players who will try to shut down the Quakers' perimeter tomorrow night. Among the most tenacious scorers and defenders is sophomore guard Talor Battle, who went 9-for-11 from the floor to notch 24 points against New Hampshire. Battle is a triple threat, leading the team in scoring (20.5 points per game), assists (4.25 per game) and steals (2.0 per game).

Senior Jamelle Cornley, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound forward, will challenge the Quakers on the boards, as will two highly-touted freshmen who also are 6-foot-5: Cammeron Woodyard and Chris Babb.

And perhaps to the dismay of the Quakers, who struggled against Drexel's physical man-to-man coverage last week, Penn State coach Ed DeChellis loves the full-court press.

"We'll be prepared for whatever they throw at us," Miller said. "We've been pressed before."

Miller added that the Red and Blue expect to see a good transition game from the Nittany Lions.

"They get out and have good offensive spurts that come through their fast break, creating turnovers, getting down the floor," the Quakers' third -year coach. "We need to keep them out of transition."

The Quakers (1-2) hope to carry the momentum from their successful home opener against Monmouth on Saturday, a veritable confidence-booster for a squad that dropped its opening two games.

"It's a great opportunity to have a Big Ten team here," senior guard Kevin Egee said. "I feel like we match up pretty well with them."

For Egee, who hails from Ridley Park, Pa., the Pennsylvania contest will be a family affair.

"Both of my brothers went to [Penn State]," he said. "A bunch of my friends go there. I've got around 30 people coming [to the game]."

With Thanksgiving break around the corner, the Palestra may see a hefty Penn State fan base. But the Quakers will certainly fight to remind the crowd what truly makes them, as the garb declares, "NOT PENN STATE."

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