The Penn State basketball team didn’t have much go their way on Saturday. They suffered a deflating loss to St. Joe’s, 65-47, in a game that was never really in reach.

For the third game in a row, Penn State (5-2) got off to a remarkably slow start. The Nittany Lions missed their first 16 shots and went down 0-22 to start the game. There is not a single game on their schedule that Penn State can win if they continue to start like that.

The team managed just 10 points in the first half and went into the locker room down 33-10. They showed signs of life in the second half scoring 37 points, but the outcome was never in question.

The final stats aren’t pretty. Billy Oliver and Matt Glover were the only Nittany Lions to break double-digits in points with 12 and 10 respectively. Tim Frazier had his worst game of the season scoring only 8 points and grabbing 11 boards. Penn State shot a staggering 27% from the floor, and if you take away Billy Olivers four three-pointers, they shot only 3-18 from that range. The Nittany Lions managed to shoot an ugly 2-7 from the free throw line as well.

One thing to note was the absence of Jermaine Marshall. Marshall only played five minutes and missed all four of his shots in that time. Marshall’s relegation to the bench meant extended playing time for true-freshman Trey Lewis, which proved to be a complete disaster as he made only two baskets in 32 minutes of play.

If there’s anything positive to take away from this game, Penn State continues to force a ridiculous number of turnovers, including 16 this game. This is quickly becoming a signature of Pat Chambers-style basketball.

Penn State resumes a tough road stretch Wednesday night when they take on Boston College at the Conte Forum. The team will have to get off to a better start if they want to have a chance against the Eagles.