Penn State Scouting Report

Jeff Brooks made seven of 11 field goals which trans- lated into a career-high 18 points as Penn State remained unbeaten with a 66-57 win over Saint Joseph’s. The Nittany Lions held the Hawks to just 19 first-half points, setting up an 11-point halftime lead. Saint Joseph’s made five field goals in the half and shot 20 percent from the floor overall and 10 percent (1 of 10) from three-point range.

Penn State has three players who average better than 10 points per game, led by Talor Battle’s 18.0 scoring average. Jeff Brooks (14.0 ppg) and David Jackson (12.5 ppg) are also scoring in double digits this season. Brooks is almost averaging a double-double with nine rebounds every forty minutes.

Tonight’s game marks the second meeting between Fairfield and Penn State in a series which began during the 1975-76 season. Penn State posted a 76-68 victory in a game that was played at Madison Square Garden, the only meeting between these teams. The victory also broke a nine- game losing streak for the Nittany Lions. Steve Balkun and Mark Young each tallied 14 points, while Joe DeSantis added 13 markers to pace the Stags offense. Jim Ouderkirk and Chris Erichsen reached the 20-point mark for Penn State, netting 25 and 22 points, respectively.

Against The Big Ten: Fairfield has played seven of the 11 Big Ten teams in its history, and owns a 1-8 all-time record against the conference. The Stags played Illinois (0-1), Indiana (0-1), Iowa (0-1), Penn State (0-1), Northwestern (1-0), and Wisconsin (0-1) one time, while taking on Michigan three times (0-3). Fairfield played Illinois in its first-ever NCAA Division I tournament game (1986) and followed with another NCAA tournament game against Indiana one year later (1987). The Stags only victory against the conference came during the 1976-77 campaign, a 92-74 decision in the sea- son opener. Six Fairfield players reached double figures, led by Daryl Strickland (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Joe Finn (14 points, 10 rebounds).