Penn State Sports Weekly Overview

Story posted December 2, 2013 in CommRadio, Sports by Aaron Carr

The following is the Penn State sports overview for the week of November 25th to December 1st, and features results from every active Penn State athletic team.

Football:

The football team defeated Wisconsin 31-24 on the 30th, in the team’s final game of the season. The win marks the Nittany Lions second straight season in which it beat Wisconsin in the season finale. Running back Zach Zwinak rushed for 115 yards and wide receiver Allen Robinson caught eight passes for 122 yards. Wide receiver Geno Lewis had a pair of touchdown receptions for the Lions. Penn State finished the season 7-5 (4-4 Big Ten) in coach Bill O’Brien’s second year as head coach.

Player of the Week: Freshman quarterback, Christian Hackenberg. The true freshman finished with 339 passing yards and four touchdowns in the win over Wisconsin.

Stat of the Week: Running back Zach Zwinak rushed for 994 yards this season. It’s the first time Penn State hasn’t had a 1000-yard rusher since 2004.

Men’s Basketball:

The men’s basketball team had a busy week, playing in three games. Penn State defeated Monmouth (NJ) 84-52 on the 26th, and St. Johns 89-82 in overtime. The victory over St. Johns was in the first round of the Barclays Center Classic. The Lions would lose to Ole Miss 79-76 on the 30th, in the finals of the tournament. Guard DJ Newbill had a team-high 23 points in the finals of the Classic. Penn State is off until December 3rd, when it takes on Pitt in the Big Ten/ACC challenge.

Player of the Week: Redshirt junior, guard, DJ Newbill. The Penn State guard had a team-high 23 points in the loss to Ole Miss.

Stat of the Week: Senior guard Tim Frazier had seven assists in the win over Monmouth, giving him over 500 for his career.

Women’s Basketball:

The women’s basketball team won both of its games this past week in the Bahamas, defeating Oregon State 61-56 on the 29th, and Illinois State 72-60 the day after. The Lions victory over Illinois State clinched the win in the Freeport Division of the Junkanoo Jam. Guards Maggie Lucas and Dara Taylor were named to the All-Tournament Team. Penn State is off until December 4th, when it takes on Notre Dame.

Player of the Week: Senior guard, Maggie Lucas. The Lady Lions sharpshooter was named the Junkanoo Jam Tournament MVP, after scoring 42 points in the tournament.

Stat of the Week: This is the second Junkanoo Jam title for the Lady Lions, with the first coming in 2003.

Men’s Ice Hockey:

The men’s ice hockey team lost to Union 4-3 on the 30th, and play Union again tonight at 7:00 p.m. Those wishing to get updates on the results of that game should visit GOPSUSports.com later in the day. Penn State is off until December 6th, when it plays its Big Ten opener against Wisconsin.

Player of the Week: Redshirt sophomore forward, Eric Scheid. The Blaine, Minn., native recorded a goal and an assist, in the 4-3 loss to Union.

Stat of the Week: Penn State scored three straight goals to tie the game at three, in the third period of the 4-3 loss to Union.

Women’s Ice Hockey:

The women’s ice hockey team tied Maine 1-1 on November 30th. Sophomore forward Shannon Yoxheimer scored a goal for the second-straight game. Penn State is off until December 6th, when it takes on Mercyhurst.

Player of the Week: Sophomore forward, Shannon Yoxheimer. The Jackson, Mich., native scored the lone goal for Penn State in the tie against Maine.

Stat of the Week: Penn State goaltender Nicole Paniccia stopped 44 shots in the 1-1 tie.

Men’s Soccer:

The men’s soccer team will play the 7th seeded New Mexico Lobos in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament tonight at 7:00 p.m. The game will be played in Albuquerque, NM. Those wishing to get updates on the results of the game should visit GOPSUSports.com later in the day.

Women’s Volleyball:

The women’s volleyball team won both its games this past week, defeating Ohio State 3-0 on the 27th, and Nebraska 3-1, on the 30th. The victory over Nebraska extended Penn State’s win streak to 19 consecutive matches. The Lions finished the season with a 28-2 (19-1 Big Ten) record that included an outright Big Ten regular season title. Penn State is off until the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Player of the Week: Senior, Ariel Scott. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year had 17 kills to lead Penn State over Nebraska.

Stat of the Week: Penn State clinched its 16th Big Ten title in program history with the win over Ohio State.

Aaron Carr is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email adc5230@psu.edu.