PITTSBURGH -- If only this weekend's game with Duquesne was played at Rec Hall.

There, the Lions have made a habit of pulling out close games. But Saturday at the A.J. Palumbo Center, Penn State was unable to hold onto a five-point lead with under two minutes remaining and lost to the Dukes, 87-81, in overtime.

Duquesne (5-9, 4-4), which shocked A-10 front-runner Temple here in overtime Wednesday night, conquered another conference giant. Penn State (11-5, 5-3) which boasts a 24-game home winning streak, now holds a dismal 1-5 mark on the road.

The Lions went up 77-72 with 1:27 remaining on a pair of C.J. Johnson free throws. The Dukes answered quickly with a 16-foot jumper by Alan Watkins, pulling Duquesne to within three with just over one minute to go. The sophomore forward, who hit all nine of his field-goal attempts, led the team with 18 points.

The Lions then worked the 45-second clock down to under five and, with 18 seconds left on the game clock, attempted a pass inside to forward James Barnes. The pass was broken up by Mark Gilbert on what appeared to be a kicked ball, a violation which would have given the Lions a new shot clock. No call was made and the Dukes recovered the ball.

"Every play under those circumstances is crucial," Coach Bruce Parkhill said. "I don't want to make a big deal out of that particular play, but I thought it was a kick. That's just my opinion -- mine doesn't count."

After a timeout, Duquesne again pushed up court quickly and got the ball to three-point specialist Tony Petrarca. The senior swung the ball to guard James Hargrove who rose and nailed a tough three pointer with 14 seconds left, tying the score at 77. Hargrove came off the bench to chip in 13 points.

"The shot was real big," Duquesne coach John Carroll said. "More importantly, he had the presence to . . . call timeout which enabled us to get set in our defense so (Penn State) couldn't bust the ball down for a good shot."

Lion guard Monroe Brown then drove the length of the court and missed an eight-foot jumper from the right side of the key. Guard Freddie Barnes grabbed the rebound but was stripped of the ball as time expired.

In the extra period, Dukes' guard Clayton Adams took over. The senior hit a turnaround layup to start the Duquesne scoring. Two sequences later, with Penn State up by one, Clayton picked off a pass and fed the ball to Hargrove who slammed it home off the breakaway.

Trailing 83-81, The Lions once again worked the ball inside to James Barnes. Barnes was unable to get a handle on the pass as the ball rolled out of his grasp and out of bounds.

"We got exactly what we wanted and it looked like he rushed himself," Parkhill said.

Adams then knocked down two free throws and hit a layup off his steal to seal the victory. Adams scored six of his 15 points in the extra period. The Lions didn't register a field goal in overtime and were outscored 10-4.

The Dukes shot an impressive 62 percent from the floor against a tough man-to-man Penn State defense. Duquesne nailed eight of 14 three pointers for the game, five of those in the second half. Petrarca hit five of 10 for the contest, part of a 17-point effort.

Solid shooting loomed large in the Dukes' triumph, as Penn State controlled the boards. The Lions outrebounded Duquesne, 40-23, including a 23-3 advantage when the Dukes shot the ball.

Lacking second chances on offense, Duquesne spread the ball around as five players scored in double figures. The combination of 3-point sharpshooting and the inside play of Watkins proved a potent mix.

Forward DeRon Hayes paced the Penn State attack once again. The sophomore tied his career-high with 22 points, 13 in the second half.

James Barnes added 14 points inside and led all players with seven rebounds. Brown and center Dave Degitz chipped in 12 apiece.

The Lions shot a dismal 57 percent from the free-throw line in the second half and extra period. They hit only 16 of 28 from the line in that stretch, missing two in overtime.

"We were disappointed that we didn't put (the game) away like we should have," Brown said. "But we should have done a better job in overtime."