Penn State wins NIT!

◊ Penn State won a hard fought, sometimes even bloody NIT final tonight in New York City, -. Baylor had taken some decent leads through most of the game, but in typical Penn State fashion, the Lions used defense and balanced offense to pull away.

This was a real team effort, again led by the unbreakable Jamelle Cornley. The senior finished with a team high 18 points, while Talor Battle scored another 12, David Jackson and Stanley Pringle each had 10 more, and fifth-year senior Danny Morrissey scored all nine points on crucial three-pointers.

Penn State kept themselves in the game early by pulling down rebounds for second-, third- and even fourth-chance points.

One last thing that should be noted: the officiating crew sucked. Even though they called a lot more fouls (19) on Baylor than on Penn State (8), I had to take issue with a few called on the Bears. None of that matters though, because the game is over, and Penn State can actually hang a men's basketball championship banner in the Bryce Jordan Center!

*Have something to say about this post? Let your voice be heard, in the ZN Message Forum!

More below the fold...

Penn State survives, will play for NIT title

◊ I guess Penn State just wanted to make things interesting down the stretch. If so, the Lions succeeded, as Notre Dame was able to close a one-time 19-point deficit to four points with only a few minutes left.

But, in true Penn State style, the Lions didn't roll over and die under the pressure. Jamelle Cornley, Talor Battle and Andrew Jones weren't going to let that happen; not this time.

I will admit that I was terrified when Notre Dame went on its run midway through the second half. It felt like all the shots the Irish missed through the first 30 minutes, all of a sudden fell with ease, particularly from behind the arch.

Penn State got a bit sloppy, which directly led to Notre Dame's surge. I think it all came to a head once Cornley got chippy with the Irish players, but fortunately for him and his team, he calmed down and turned that attitude back into production on the court.

Not enough can be said about Jones' performance tonight. The last announced stats for him were 14 points and 14 rebounds. It felt like he had a lot more rebounds. Penn State had a ton of second chances, while taking away crucial Irish opportunities.

Regardless of what happens against Baylor in the NIT final, it's been a great season for Penn State basketball. Let's hope there's one more win up the Lions' sleeves.

*Have something to say about this post? Let your voice be heard, in the ZN Message Forum!

More below the fold...

Lions up at the half, look dominant

◊ Penn State played a fantastic first half against Notre Dame in the NIT semifinal game tonight at Madison Square Garden. Even though the Lions got a bit sloppy during their runs, it was still about a 18-point margin most of the half. Talor Battle is having his way with the Irish defense, while Penn State's defense is doing just enough (also due to Notre Dame's horrid shooting percentage) to make this one a comfortable lead going into the second half.

Let's hope the Lions can keep their cool, and not let this one slip away.

More below the fold...

Battle buzzer beater, the clip

◊ Here's a video taken from the stands. It's a really great clip that captured the moment perfectly.

The guy taking the video even kept the camera focused on the court when Talor Battle made the shot... that's some fine camera work right there.

More below the fold...

Battle, DeChellis earn Big Ten honors

◊ You can't say Ed DeChellis isn't making progress in Happy Valley. Penn State is one good conference tournament win away from a sure NCAA tournament bid. The Lions boast the media's Coach of the Year, as well as first, second and honorable mention Big Ten selections.

"Penn State coach Ed DeChellis was named the Big Ten Coach-of-the-Year by conference media voters and sophomore guard Talor Battle (Albany, N.Y.) earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from both conference coaches and media when the Big Ten post-season awards were announced Monday. Senior forward Jamelle Cornley (Columbus, Ohio) also earned second-team selection from the media and third-team honors from the coaches and senior guard Stanley Pringle(Virginia Beach, Va.) was an honorable-mention pick from both. Andrew Jones (Philadelphia, Pa.) was named Penn State's sportsmanship award winner."

Things are looking up for Penn State basketball.

More below the fold...

Lions beat Illini, lock up NCAA bid

◊ The ball hung on the basket for what seemed like an eternity. Ed DeChellis, Bruce Weber, the players on the benches, more than 16,000 at the BJC, and thousands more in their living rooms stopped breathing. Then the ball fell through, ending a wild affair tonight in Happy Valley.

Penn State came up with one of the most individually significant wins in recent Nittany Lions basketball history. With tonight's 64-63 victory over No. 23 Illinois, Penn State will go to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years.

This was a 'WOW' game; an instant classic. And fittingly enough, it was Big Ten player of the year front runner Talor Battle who scored the final basket.

We also have to give due credit to DeChellis. He could have lost his team on several different occasions, but wouldn't let his Lions fail.

But the best storyline of the night was easily the effort put forth by senior Jamelle Cornley. He hurt his shoulder with a few minutes left in the game, went out for a few minutes, but returned shortly after. Cornley's arm was visibly out of commission, but he played like a man possessed.

Before I say (very) goodnight, let's just take one last moment to observe the horrendous game by the officiating crew. The funny part was that it got so bad in the second half, the refs had to give Penn State a free call to make up for the earlier missed (and very obviously bad) calls. Andrew Ott's putback that was clearly legit, but was called off, and Illinois' basket that was blatantly a shot clock violation.

More below the fold...

PSU 'battles' to win at MSU

◊ Penn State beat No. 9 Michigan State in East Lansing, the Lions first win there in more than a decade. Talor Battle officially locked up his first-team All-BigTen selection, with a dominant 29-point performance. The Spartans now fall into a first-place tie with Purdue, with two conference losses each.

This win wasn't without some problems, big problems, for Penn State however. The Lions were HORRIBLE from the charity stripe, not excluding Battle. Luckily, Andrew Jones III, who hadn't scored more than 6 points since Dec. 21, came through with 1.6 seconds left, putting the Lions up by four. If Penn State wants to make it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the foul shots have to come a long way. The Lions could have put this game away much earlier, if only they had made a few more from the line.

But this has already been a fantastic season for Penn State, and it could get even better if the Lions use this big win as a springboard for the final stretch.

More below the fold...