SYRACUSE, NY -- There was only one glass slipper to go around at the Carrier Dome yesterday.

And after the East Region's Cinderella teams -- 13th-seed Penn State and 12th-seed Eastern Michigan -- tossed it around like a hot potato for 40 minutes, it fell at EMU's feet in overtime. More specifically, it landed in the hands of senior point guard Lorenzo Neely.

The senior tallied six of his 18 points in the extra session as EMU advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in its history with a thrilling 71-68 victory over the Lions.

"Lorenzo took over the game down the stretch," EMU coach Ben Braun said. "There's not a better player in those situations that I've seen. He wants the ball in his hands and he's willing to take the challenge on his shoulders."

Eastern Michigan (26-6), the lowest-seeded team remaining in the field, will face top seed North Carolina at the Meadowlands Friday. Penn State (21-11), in its first NCAA tourney since 1965, closes its comeback season winners of four of its last five games.

Neely started the overtime with a slick backdoor feed to center Marcus Kennedy who scored on an open layup. He followed with a drive of his own, finishing a give-and-go play with Kennedy.

The lethal combintion came to an abrupt end as Kennedy picked up his fifth personal on a loose ball with 3:50 to go. The senior powered for a game-high 21 points.

Lion forward James Barnes took advantage of Kennedy's absence and hit a layup and foul shot to give Penn State a 63-62 lead. More importantly, EMU forward Kory Hallas found a spot next to Kennedy -- picking up his last foul on the play.

With the pair on the bench, Neely took over. He sank a pair of free throws with 1:30 to give EMU another three-point advantage, 66-63.

"We knew it was up to me and the Thomas twins (Carl and Charles) to step up our level of play and that's what we did," Neely said. "We're seniors and we've been there before. As a team, I thought we did real well."

After Carl Thomas hit a pair of free throws and Dave Degitz scored one from the line, EMU put it away. Following a timeout, Charles Thomas inbounded the ball to brother Carl. Penn State, in a frenzied effort to pressure the pass, let Roger Lewis alone underneath for a backbreaking layup with 21 seconds left.

The Lions pulled to within two, but a Neely free throw iced the game with 10 ticks of the clock showing. Lion guard Freddie Barnes missed a 3-pointer but Penn State regained the ball when Carl Thomas traveled with the rebound. With one second left, Freddie Barnes hurled another trey from the right side that caromed off the rim as time expired.

Penn State shot only 2-of-7 from the floor in the overtime. The Lions, almost perfect from 3-point territory early, were 1-of-6 in the second half and overtime.

Penn State had a chance to pull it out in regulation. With the score tied at 58, Monroe Brown turned in a defensive gem, stepping into the passing lane and picking off a pass with 36 seconds left.

Brown was fouled but missed the front end of a one-and-one. Forward DeRon Hayes snared the rebound and passed the ball to Freddie Barnes. EMU pressured Barnes in front of the Lion bench and forced a turnover.

With six second left, EMU rushed the ball up court and Charles Thomas hurled a 30-foot toss which hit the backboard as regulation ended.

The squads traded blows for most of the contest as the lead never exceeded five. The teams orchestrated effective half-court offenses in the first half, utilizing pristine ball control and capitalizing on opportunistic chances inside.

The Lions, on the strength 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, took a 33-29 lead at intermission. Freddie Barnes led the way with nine points, hitting all three of his 3-point attempts in the half.

With Kennedy and Hallas plagued with foul trouble throughout the second half, forward James Barnes asserted himself inside, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the half. Equally as dominating offensively in the paint was Kennedy.

Shrugging of his foul situation, the senior played undaunted, scoring 17 second-half points. His effort included 10 of EMU's 12 points in a six-minute stretch which brought the team from two down to three up, 54-51.

"We thought long and hard about how to guard him and we came to the conclusion that he'd get his points," Coach Bruce Parkhill said. "We conceeded that he'd get 20 so it was in our best interest not to let the other guys get offensive."

But EMU, as a team, did just that. Respecting the team's 52 percent season field goal shooting mark, Penn State stayed in man-to-man. EMU shot 50 percent from the floor in the second and a blistering 66 percent (4-of-6) in the overtime.

EMU also clamped down on defense down the stretch. Although Penn State improved to convert on almost half of its scoring opportunities in the second half, the Lions only mustered 10 shots from the field. EMU outrebounded Penn State, 20-14 and 16-8 on the defensive glass in the half to deny the Lions second-chance opportunities.

"They have a devestating defense," Parkhill said. "They get good position and they move their feet well. It wasn't a situation where we could do whatever we wanted on offense."

Penn State, which committed only one turnover in the first half, coughed the ball up five times in the second. The man-to-man EMU defense also stifled the Lions' ability to penetrate, a key to their success in the early going.

Consequently, the Lions worked the ball around looking for opportunities. Four players tallied 12 points apiece -- both Barnes, Brown and Hayes. Degitz added eight.