It was a game with a little bit of everything -- ups, downs, streaks, lulls -- all of it. Kind of like the Nittany Lion season.

Saturday's 71-70 win over Michigan State in Rec Hall was the embodiment of how the season has gone for Coach Bruce Parkhill and company. The fact that it came on senior night made it that much more special.

"That's about as sweet a win as we've had this year," Parkhill said afterwards. "Tonight, I think, is just a really appropriate way to end the season."

Penn State (13-14 overall, 6-12 in Big Ten) led most of the way, until the Spartans (19-11, 10-8) caught fire -- particularly in the person of Shawn Respert who led all scorers with 22.

Penn State was up by as many as 11 with just over 18 minutes to go in the second half. A 15-4 run by Michigan State knotted the score at 51. With momentum on their side, the Spartans looked to deliver the knockout blow.

But the Lions would have none of it, battling with the NCAA Tournament-bound Spartans until the very end.

In the end, it would come down to three possessions in the game's final minute -- two for Michigan State, one for Penn State. The only difference was that the Lions made theirs count.

Sophomore Rahsaan Carlton had hit a turnaround jumper to pull the Lions to within two at 68-70 -- timeout Penn State, 57 seconds left.

The Spartans would run the 35-second shot clock to its final ticks, before working the ball inside to center Anthony Miller. Miller had slipped behind Lion center John Amaechi, a clear path to the hoop in front of him.

"Uncontested and just bricks it," was how Spartan Coach Jud Heathcote described it.

Penn State's turn, still down two. The sellout crowd of 7,421 held its collective breaths as the Lions almost blew the opportunity. The Spartan defense held tough, forcing a loose ball and the ensuing mad scramble.

Ball out of bounds, possession awarded to Penn State, 8.4 seconds to go.

The inbounds pass came to Carlton, who spotted up for an open three-point attempt. All of 2.4 seconds had run off the clock, and Penn State was now on top for good.

"I thought it was good when it left my hand," said Carlton, who had 21 points on the night.

Michael Jennings, who triggered the inbounds pass, had a different view, "I passed the ball and I was looking at (the shot) like, 'Oh my God, please go in.' "

The game ended with Spartan guard Eric Snow trying to make something happen, finally getting the ball into Miller as the final buzzer sounded. Miller never got the shot off, as the Rec Hall faithful erupted.

Notes:

-- The win over the Spartans also capped off Penn State's three-game spring break. The Lions started the break March 5 with a loss at Illinois, 84-59. From there it was a March 9 matchup with Michigan and the "Fab Four," and an 81-72 loss.

-- Amaechi became the first Nittany Lion basketball player named to the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America First-Team. The juniorpsychology major leads the team in points, rebounds, blocked shots and steals, and carries a 3.33 cumulative grade point average.