Tim Frazier recorded his third double-double of the season with 26 points and 11 assists, and Trey Lewis added 12 points off the bench to help Penn State defeat Youngstown State 82-71 on Wednesday night.
The Nittany Lions (5-1) led by as much as 21 late in the first half before the Penguins got hot from long range to get within nine several times, including 77-68 with 49 seconds left off a 3 by Blake Allen. He finished with 25 points and seven 3s.
Youngstown State (3-1) opened the second half shooting 6 of 7 from 3-point territory, including three during the spurt from Kendrick Perry (23 points). He shot 5 of 8 from behind the 3-point arc.
The Penguins, who were picked to finish seventh in the Horizon League, could get no closer against the Big Ten program. Cammeron Woodyard added 10 points for Penn State.
Nearly 4,400 showed up the day before Thanksgiving, though the Jordan Center was quieter than normal given most students were away for the holiday.
Frazier didn't use the subdued crowd as an excuse for the Nittany Lions' lack of energy in the second half.
''I think that's just something we really need to work on ... focus on that,'' the junior said about closing out opponents down the stretch.
Still, Penn State played well enough in the first half to enjoy a big cushion late. Coach Patrick Chambers' team shot 56 percent for the game, including 15 of 25 (60 percent) before halftime.
Frazier's alley-oop pass from midcourt to Ross Travis provided an energy boost with about 6 minutes left for a 14-point lead. Nate Perry answered with a 4-point play after getting fouled on a fall-away 3 from the wing, his only bucket of the game.
''They made shots, contested shots. There's a lot to learn here,'' Chambers said. ''We've got to put teams away, but let's get them some credit.''
Chambers planned to have a team dinner on campus Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving - but not before putting them through a practice. He wasn't going easy on his players, either, just because it was a holiday.
''Nope, no way,'' Chambers said with a laugh. ''Good question though.''
