Chris Babb had enough of the bench.
After playing just 23 minutes in the Penn State men's basketball team's first game because of foul trouble, the sophomore guard picked up two fouls in the first 10 minutes of Monday's 80-61 victory over Robert Morris and subsequently spent the remainder of the half on the bench.
When Babb - who scored 15 points, all on 3-pointers - stepped onto the floor for the second stanza, his goal was to put the season's first 60 minutes behind him.
"At halftime coach [Ed DeChellis] told me he needs me to come back as well as Jeff [Brooks] who was also in foul trouble]," Babb said. "Both of us came back ready to play and had cleared that out of our minds."
With the Nittany Lions leading by just one at the break, it was Babb's four threes in the first 4:37 of the second half that sparked a 23-4 run to open the half and turned a back-and-forth contest into a blowout almost instantly.
After his 3-pointer on the fast break put the Lions up by seven and sent the crowd into a chorus of "Zombie Nation," Babb raised both hands in the air, waving the fans on.
"You've got to get the crowd into the game," Babb said. "In the first half we were kind of sluggish and the crowd wasn't really into it. When we started making big plays, you've got to get the crowd involved, too."
DeChellis pointed to that shot as a turning point in the game and said the play evolved because of a team effort.
Babb's ability to spot up in transition, DeChellis said, was a product of the three-guard offense he put out on the floor for most of the second half.
"We played Talor [Battle], Chris and Tim [Frazier] together, and now we know we can get it up the floor and we can spot up Babb a little more," DeChellis said. "He made a couple of corner jump shots for us to open things up, but that's because we had two guys who can push the ball."
DeChellis said once Babb picked up the second foul, he immediately put him on the bench to rest him for the second half.
Calling Babb a "rhythm shooter," DeChellis noted the importance of resting him early so he could get into a flow once he re-entered.
"If he's open, he's got the green light to shoot it," DeChellis said. "He's a good shooter and we need him to make perimeter shots. As you saw, that blows things open really quickly."
With Battle, the Lions' leading scorer last season, posting only eight points Monday, Babb said other players stepping up when Battle is struggling will be vital to the Lions' success this season.
"It's a great feeling that we're not just a one-man team," Babb said. "Talor's a great player, but everybody has off nights. Whenever he does do that, other players on the team can step up and knock down shots."
