An unlikely dance team, these two. Wide-eyed freshman Dan Earl and battle-tested junior Voshon Lenard, winding left and right in a sublime two-step.

This shadowing waltz was an attempt at intimidation by Lenard, Minnesota's star guard, as he dogged Earl on his way to the line. And it worked, as the freshman missed two technical foul shots just seconds later.

But in the end, it was Earl who would lead.

The Lions held Lenard to six second-half points, while Earl had 17 points and no turnovers in 36 minutes of play, as the Lions (8-4, 1-2 Big Ten) upset No.18 Minnesota (11-4, 2-1 Big Ten) Saturday night, 78-67.

"That was a wonderful win for us," Coach Bruce Parkhill said. "I'm really happy about it."

The Lions used a stifling matchup-zone defense to neutralize the Gophers' outside shooting, and were boosted by rejuvenated play from center John Amaechi, who scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

"I thought John Amaechi played really strong," Parkhill said.

Evidence of that came early on, when Amaechi grabbed a rebound and laid the ball home to tie the game at 10. The action moved back and forth for the rest of the first half, with the Lions finally nailing clutch shots -- something that had been absent in losses to Wisconsin and Indiana.

An Earl three-pointer from the corner tied the game at 18. An Amaechi dunk gave Penn State a 23-21 lead. And a late Lion surge, capped by an Amaechi jumper from the baseline, extended the halftime lead to 39-32.

But the Lions were determined not to lay all their hopes on the shoulders of their big man, who had 19 first-half points. Instead, they shared the wealth. Players emerged from the depths of slumps to contribute in key spots.

Take sophomore Rahsaan Carlton, whose shooting woes and defensive lapses had knocked him from the starting lineup. On this night, he reemerged as an offensive force, hitting three key second-half baskets.

"I think Rahsaan did a heck of a job tonight," Parkhill said. "I saw him take control with confidence."

And the Lions were constantly in control, thanks mainly to a suffocating defense that left the Gophers off-balance. Lenard and point guard Arriel McDonald were able to nail the occasional bomb, but always with a hand in their face.

"They did a nice job of matching up. We did a poor job of executing," Minnesota Coach Clem Haskins said. "They just kicked our fannies tonight."

And ironically enough, it was Earl, along with power forward Matt Gaudio, who sealed the game on the foul line, hitting nine consecutive free throws after Amaechi fouled out with two minutes, nine seconds left.

"We've been in close games for two years now, and we finally beat a big team down the stretch," Carlton said. "We're ready to make our move in the Big Ten now."

Soon, that move may be a dance.

Notes:

-- Penn State had lost to 12 straight ranked teams, dating back to a first-round NCAA Tournament upset of UCLA in 1991. The last ranked team to fall at Rec Hall was Temple in 1989.

-- Amaechi, who had two blocks Saturday night, tied Ed Fogell's school record for career blocks with 90.