AUDIO: Steve Donahue, Matt Humphrey At BC Press Conference

CHESTNUT HILL - Matt Humphrey scored a team-high 15 points but went 4-for-11 from the field as Boston College lost a sloppy game to Penn State, 62-54, in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday night at Conte Forum.

Boston College (2-5) finished the game 16-of-44 from the floor (36.4 percent) and shot a dismal 27.3 percent (6-for-22) in the second half, in which the Eagles were outscored 36-25. BC led Penn State, 29-26, at halftime after a solid performance from the field (10-for-22) in the first twenty minutes.

Tim Frazier finished with 22 points, five assists and seven turnovers while Jermaine Marshall had 22 points an a game-high eight rebounds for Penn State (6-2), which handed BC its first ever loss in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Steve Donahue, the Eagles second-year head coach, and Humphrey spoke with the media after the loss.

Boston College Basketball Press Conference (11-30-11)

For more BC Basketball coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Penn State 62, Boston College 54: BC Falls In ACC-Big 10 Challenge

CHESTNUT HILL - Boston College and Penn State made a combined 37-of-101 field goals to shoot 36.6 percent as the Nittany Lions hung on for a 62-54 win over the Eagles, snapping BC's five-game winning streak in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday night.

"I thought it was a very hard fought game," said Boston College head coach Steve Donahue. "[It was] two teams trying to find their identity, particularly in offense. I thought our guys competed really hard but that last quarter just really struggled getting a good look, and give Penn State credit. I thought they got key loose balls. Our offense right now isn't real efficient or very big. I think that was something that could explain it."

Boston College (2-5) was led by junior Matt Humphrey, who scored a team-high 15 points but made only 4-of-11 field goals in the loss. Humphrey and the Eagles finished the game 16-of-44 from the floor (36.4 percent).

"I think it's just a collective group of guys as a team just missing guys that are wide open," Humphrey said about BC's poor shooting performance. "We got our heads down and just not making that extra play and we need to get better at that."

The Eagles opened the game with a 12-4 run in the first four minutes, but the Nittany Lions (6-2) scored 10 unanswered points to take a 14-12 lead with 12:13 to play in the opening half. The Eagles maintained the lead throughout most of the final12 minutes, even leading by five - 28-23 - after a Humphrey free throw with 1:16 left. Jermaine Marshall (22 points) made a three with 59 ticks left before Gabe Moton (10 points) made his only three-pointer of the game, giving the Eagles a 29-26 lead heading into halftime.

BC kept up the momentum through the first seven minutes of the second half, leading b six - 40-34 - with 13:28 left in the game, but the Nittany Lions closed the gap with an 8-2 run to tie the game at 42 with 10:22 to go. A three from Tim Frazier (22 points) with 7:01 left gave Penn State its first lead (51-48) since the 16:02 mark of the second half. The Lions closed out the game with a 9-6 run to ice the Eagles and claim their sixth win of the young season.

"The kids' confidence is shot sometimes," Donahue said. "They've never really had failures on the basketball court or struggle. I thought we did a terrific job in the first half, i thought [Lonnie] Jackson (eight points) came out and did some nice things in the second half. I thought Moton had a good floor game.

"We have some guys that are in a lull right now and aren't really sure where theyre are or what they're doing we've got to pick those up. There's no reason for this season to get too low. This is all about building. We have one class in and we're going to try and get these guys ACC ready and we're going to build on that class each and every year."

Boston College hosts Boston University in its next game at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday.

For more BC Basketball coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Boston College Vs. Penn State: Eagles Lead Nittany Lions 29-26 At Halftime

John Cahill and the Boston College Eagles host the Penn St. Nittany Lions in their sixth ever ACC-Big 10 Challenge on Wednesday night at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, MA.

Despite being a four and a half point underdog, the Eagles lead the Nittany Lions by a score of 29-26 at the half.

Sophomore point guard Jermaine Marshall leads Penn State with 15 points and three rebounds. The top scorer for Boston College is freshman center KC Caudill with six points and three rebounds.

Tonight's game is being broadcast nationally on ESPNU, with Sean McDonough on play-by-play and Tim Welsh providing analysis. The game can also be heard on the WEEI Sports Radio Network (93.7 FM/850 AM), with Jon Meterparel on play-by-play duty and Malcolm Huckaby providing analysis.

For a closer look at tonight's match-up as well as more Boston College basketball coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Boston College Vs. Penn State: TV/Radio Info, Series History And More

John Cahill and the Boston College Eagles host the Penn St. Nittany Lions in their sixth ever ACC-Big 10 Challenge on Wednesday night at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, MA.

Event: Boston College Eagles (2-4) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2).

Date/Time: November 30, 2011 - 7:15 p.m. EDT.

Location: Silvio O. Conte Forum (Capacity: 8,606), Chestnut Hill, MA.

Odds: Penn State is a 4.5-point favorite over Boston College.

Broadcast Info: Wednesday night's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU, with Sean McDonough on play-by-play and Tim Welsh providing analysis. The game can also be heard on the WEEI Sports Radio Network (93.7 FM/850 AM), with Jon Meterparel on play-by-play duty and Malcolm Huckaby providing analysis.

Series History: Boston College and Penn State are meeting for the 12th time ever, with the Nittany Lions leading the all-time series, 6-5. This is the first meeting in 10 years between the two schools, with the Eagles winning, 88-65, in 2001. BC has won four of the last five games against Penn St., which last beat, 85-57, at home in 1999. Penn St. is 2-2 against Boston College in games played at Conte Forum.

BC/Penn State In ACC-Big Ten Challenge: Boston College is a perfect 5-0 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, with its last victory coming over Indiana, 88-76, last season at Conte Forum. Penn State is 4-6 all-time in the challenge and has won three of its last four challenge games. However, the Nittany Lions lost to Maryland in last year's challenge, 62-39.

The ACC dominated the first ten years of the challenge, winning each and every year, but the Big Ten has won the last two challenges, 6-5. The ACC owns a 72-47 all-time record against Big Ten teams in the challenge.

Last Time Out: Boston College was defeated by the New Mexico Lobos, 75-57, in the fifth-place game of the 76 Challenge on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, CA. Matt Humphrey and Lonnie Jackson each scored 12 points for BC.

Penn State is coming off of a 65-47 blowout loss at the hands of the Saint Joseph Hawks on November 26. Billy Oliver led the Nittany Lions with 12 points and also had five rebounds. Ross Travis had 10 points and six rebounds off the bench and Tim Frazier finished with eight points and 11 rebounds for Penn State in the loss.

Statistical Leaders: Patrick Heckmann is the Eagles' leading scorer, averaging 13.8 points, while Matt Humphrey is the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 11 points per contest. Ryan Anderson is the team's leading rebounder 5.7 RPG) while Dennis Clifford is second with 5.2 rebounds per game. Heckmann also leads the team in assists (1.8 APG).

Tim Frazier is the Nittany Lions' leading scorer, averaging 19.1 points, and also leads the team in rebounds (six RPG) and assists (7.1 APG).

Storyline: Boston College continues to work its young bunch of freshman into the lineup, as head coach Steve Donahue continues to play with his lineups to find the right mix. Patrick Heckmann has proven to be the most consistent scorer through the first six games of his collegiate career, and as a result, will likely be looked upon to carry the scoring load.

Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers will return to Boston for the first time since taking the job with the Nittany Lions this past offseason. Chambers was the head coach of the Boston U. Terriers, guiding them to back-to-back 21-14 seasons. Last year, the Terriers won the America East Tournament and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, only to lose to powerhouse Kansas in the first round. 

Prediction: Boston College has shown flashes of talent and promise, but the Eagles are simply too young to be competitive consistently. Penn State should be able to overcome any possible quick starts from BC and emerge victorious. Final Score: Penn State 76, Boston College 65.

For more BC Basketball coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

2011 ACC-Big 10 Challenge Schedule: Boston College In Action Wednesday Against Penn State

The 2011 edition of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge begins on Tuesday. Boston College plays Penn State on Wednesday.