There is a strange irony to the T-shirt. "Cuddly person," it reads, sandwiching a picture of a smiling face that matches the visage of its wearer.

At 6-foot-10, 270 pounds, John Amaechi certainly boasts plenty of cuddling space. Considering this amiable Englishman is the darling of Penn State basketball, there would certainly be a wealth of volunteers.

But there was nothing warm or fuzzy about what the Lion center did on the court Saturday night. Instead, there was anger. Frustration. And it beared itself in the form of 26 points and 10 rebounds in Penn State's 78-67 upset of then-No. 18 Minnesota.

In doing so, Amaechi lifted himself out of a perplexing funk which had left him helpless in conference losses to Wisconsin and Indiana. Six-for-20 from the floor, only 15 points and 12 rebounds. At times, it seemed the Lions' pivot man had disappeared into a haze.

"An incentive was the last two games," Amaechi admitted. But there may have been more than just that.

Amaechi's mother, who is ill with cancer, flew in from her Manchester, England, home before the Wisconsin game on Jan. 6. But the center has refused to use that as an excuse. There is absolutely no excuse for poor play in the Amaechi book.

Of course, Wendy Amaechi's last chance to see her son would be the Minnesota game. He had to do something.

Perhaps the best advice, however, came from teammate Steve Wydman. "When I try less, I play better," Amaechi learned. "I tried less, thought less, and played well."

He resurrected his game, grabbing strong rebounds and driving to the hoop with a vengeance and swatting shots with authority. That, despite the occassional back spasm, which left Amaechi lying on the floor at the end of the bench midway through the second half.

"It's hardly worth mentioning," Amaechi said. "Lying down is a more comfortable position."

Amaechi's run ended, however, with two minutes, nine seconds remaining. The big man reached over on an offensive rebound. It was his fifth foul.

He apologized to his teammates. "Take it home," he told them.

Lion Coach Bruce Parkhill, meanwhile, had other things on his mind.

"I was looking for a noose," the coach joked. "For me, not for John."

Amaechi simply looked for a seat. On the bench, they had grown accustomed to talking at him. Not talking to him.

"It was probably the hardest two minutes I've watched in a basketball game," Amaechi said. "I wasn't worried we would lose, it was just so . . . " He shudders with the memory, ". . . stressful."

The Lions, behind strong foul shooting from Dan Earl and Matt Gaudio, pulled away from the Gophers. And Amaechi, towel draped around his neck, was the head cheerleader.

He was no longer angry or frustrated --just cuddly.