PSU loses top player in defeat
BAYAMON, Puerto Rico — Zeke Marshall had 17 points and six blocks, and Akron beat Penn State 85-60 in the fifth-place game at the Puerto Rico Tipoff on Sunday.
D.J. Newbill had 20 points for the Nittany Lions (2-2), who played the final 34 minutes of the game without their best player, Tim Frazier, after the senior suffered what a team spokesman called a lower left leg injury.
Frazier walked out of the arena on his power. He will be re-evaluated when the team returns Monday to State College.
Penn State trailed by four at halftime before getting outscored 53-24 in the final 20 minutes.
“I felt like we played a great first 20 minutes, but when you lose a player of the caliber of a Tim Frazier and he’s your point guard as well, it’s very difficult,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. “He’s a high-production player, and we just couldn’t sustain it in the second half.”
Frazier didn’t score in six minutes of play.
Carmelo Betancourt and Demetrius Treadwell had 10 points each for the Zips. Marshall scored six points during a 13-3 run to open the second half that put Akron up for good.
