Personal Loans

State College, PA, United States (AHN Sports) – Dating as far back as the beginning of the 2009 season, Penn State has suffered from one lingering dilemma: The Nittany Lions lack a big time scorer outside of Talor Battle.

However, senior forward David Jackson has been doing his best to rectify the situation. Jackson has 30 points and 10 rebounds in his last two games, and has emphatically emerged as Penn State’s second biggest offensive threat since missing a game against Mount St. Mary’s with a head injury.

Jackson came through with 18 points at home against Maine on Tuesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center, but the Nittany Lions ultimately fell to the Black Bears, 74-64.

“I feel like we just didn’t play well. We were well-prepared and they didn’t really surprise us with anything,” Jackson said. “We just didn’t do a good job of executing and making shots.”

Despite the big night from Jackson, who shot 7-of-17 from the field, Penn State had a difficult time getting shots to fall in the loss. The Nittany Lions shot just 38.6 percent from the field, while the Black Bears hit on 52.6 percent of their shots.

Though Penn State was playing its first game in nine days, Jackson shrugged off the notion that his team may have come out rusty.

“They were the same shots we were hitting in practice at game speed, so I don’t think the layoff had too much to do with it,” Jackson said. “We had had some good practices coming into tonight.”

Despite the overall poor Penn State performance, coach Ed DeChellis praised Jackson’s efforts after the game.

“Tonight we just had a lack of focus which you can’t have. We had 20 more shots then them and you’ve got to put some of them in the basket,” DeChellis said. “Other than (Battle) and (Jackson), we really had a hard time knocking down shots.”

With the season nearing its halfway point, Jackson has registered double digit points in four of his last six games and six of 10 overall.

Jackson, or DJ as he’s known by his teammates, has also been an important presence underneath the basket. Jackson has pulled down 38 rebounds, good for fourth best on the team.

The loss to Maine was the last non-conference game Penn State (7-4) will play this season, and though he acknowledged the disappointing nature of the loss, Jackson sounded confident that the Nittany Lions will regroup for Big Ten play.

“We didn’t have too many offensive rebounds, which is rare for us, but you’ve just got to give them credit. They got after it,” Jackson said. “We came out a little flat tonight. It’s tough. You never want to lose period. We hate to lose but at same time it’s a whole new season coming up. We’ve got to have a lot more focus and we’re going to be ready.”

Penn State’s first Big Ten challenge will come in the form of an away game against Indiana Monday.

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