Point guard Freddie Barnes has been in this situation before.

The three-year starter has seen his share of close finishes during his tenure, but this year they seem to be coming in bunches.

Last night against George Washington, Barnes saw another game --more importantly, a home game --slipping away. However, the junior guard decided he couldn't let that happen.

"I got that feeling -- I didn't think we should lose this game," Barnes said. "I just tried to get the crowd into it and get our team up. Toward the end of the game I was thinking about the seniors and losing three games in a row -- those things just flashed in my mind."

Barnes scored 15 points in the final nine minutes and hit five points in 39 seconds to erase an 11-point Colonial advantage as the Lions rallied to beat GW, 69-65. Barnes shot 5-of-10 from the field for the game, including 2-of-5 from beyond the 3-point line to post a game-high 20 points.

With Penn State down 63-59, Barnes attempted a 3-point strike from the top of the key. The ball bounced off the rim and came back towards him. Grabbing his own rebound at the foul line, Barnes drove to the basket and layed a shot in over GW defender Sonni Holland, who fouled him.

"It happened so fast," Barnes said. "The ball just came right to me and I was going to the basket. I just tried to jump as high as I could because I knew he was going to try to block it. It just happened to go in."

The play set off an eruption among the 4,210 at Rec Hall. Barnes responded by clenching his fist towards the crowd and sinking the free throw.

After GW regained the lead, Barnes once again took control. He drove again and sank a running one-handed layup to put the Lions up for good, 66-65.

"The last two or three games, teams have been sagging off on the guards," Barnes said. "Coach told us to make the conscious effort to try to beat our guy off the dribble if we had it. I wait for the defenses to relax and then try to take my man to the basket."

A team's play, to a large extent, often mirrors the performance of the point guard. Barnes' role as playmaker takes on added significance in the Penn State philosophy which relies heavily on an assertive inside game.

"His driving gives us a lot more opportunities," forward James Barnes said. "When he beats his man, the big men leave us to help out on him. Then he can pass of to us if he choses to."

Coach Bruce Parkhill agreed.

"He made some good plays on his own tonight," he said. "I'm happy to see that -- we want him to be more aggressive."

Barnes, nickamed "Ice" by his teammates, has lived up to his billing in the past several games. He averages 12 points this season but has led Penn State the past two games, scoring 38 points.

Barnes' experience will play a big factor in the team's success down the stretch. He is the team's leader in minutes played this season, averaging over 34 per game. He also paces the Lions in free-throw percentage (82.5) and assists per game (4.8), ranking fourth in the Atlantic 10 in those two catagories.

Last night, Barnes took control of the situation and sparked the team momentum. Though normally quiet, he beckoned the crowd to its feet down the stretch and ignited his team's comeback with high-fives and a determined look of intensity in his eyes.

"I just concentrate on executing," Barnes said. "I don't think about being the emotion of the team or anything like that -- I guess it just comes out of my play sometimes."