Forget it, because even if Penn State and Nebraska had faced off on the gridiron for that mythical national title, they would have they would have been hard pressed to put the kind of game their basketball counterparts combined for last night.

In a heroic comeback that, given the hostile crowd, was just as impressive as their self-resurrection against Miami last week, the Nittany Lions followed Rahsaan Carlton's lead and overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to beat the host Cornhuskers, 65-59.

With the win, the Lions advance to the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament. Penn State (19-10) will play Iowa (21-10) which beat Ohio U. in the other second round game last night, at 8 p.m. tomorrow at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

"They had the momentum, they had the crowd, but the guys dug deep and found a way to get back in it," Lion Coach Bruce Parkhill said in a postgame interview on WRSC-AM (1390). "It was just a fantastic win."

Down a dozen nearly five minutes into the second half, Penn State outscored Nebraska 29-11 over the final 15 minutes, nine seconds to earn the win. The Lions trailed until the 6:35 mark, when struggling freshman gunner Pete Lisicky hit his second consecutive three-pointer to put his team up 55-53.

A three-point play by Husker center Mikki Moore gave the lead back to Nebraska, but the lead proved temporary, thanks mostly to Carlton. The Lion small forward, on whom Penn State fans had waited seemingly all year to have a breakout night, claimed the last 5:10 as his own.

He started with a 19-foot jumper, just a toe away from a three, that put Penn State up 57-56. Neither team could manage more than a bucket over the next three-plus minutes, and then Carlton stepped up again. With 1:30 left and the score at 59-58, Carlton took a cross-key, 20-foot pass from point guard Dan Earl and drove the baseline for a hard-earned layup and a foul.

Although he missed the freethrow, Carlton made up for it a minute later. With the game clock near 30 seconds and the shot clock' near five, he scooped under the Husker front line for a layup and a 63-59 lead.

"It was a little thing from down in Harrisburg," Carlton said, crediting the move to his days on the hometown courts. "Just a little finger-roll thing, that's all."

In fact, it wasn't all, as he added a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left to cushion the lead and give himself a game and season-high 19 points. Eleven of those came in the first half, when Carlton drained a trio of three-pointers.

The trey proved the Lions' weapon of choice throughout the game, especially in the first half. Penn State threw in eight bombs in the first 20 minutes, including three each from Carlton and swingman Greg Bartram and two from Earl. The Lions finished the game with a school-record 12 triples on 28 attempts.

The perimeter parade was a necessity because of the Huskers' array of defensive looks, the most frustrating of which was a trapping zone that helped force most of the Lions' 17 turnovers. That zone kept the ball away from Penn State center John Amaechi, who still bulled his way for 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The first half stayed tight through its entirety, as the Huskers built narrow leads that the Lions consistently erased but rarely overcame. Nebraska's biggest lead came on guard Erick Strickland's leaner near the eight-minute mark that made the score 24-19, but Penn State tied it at 27 apeice nearly four minutes later.

The half ended on a bit of controversy when Earl, holding the ball for a last shot, appeared to commit a turnover. Earl drove to the three-point line, picked up his dribble, and then put the ball back on the floor after Husker forward Terrance Badgett reached for but didn't appear to make contact with the ball.

Badgett did, however, whack Earl's arm. No foul was called, Earl pushed the ball to Bartram, and the senior drained a three just before the buzzer to knot the game at 36.

Afterward, the usually quiet Carlton was moved enough by the evening's events to address the Lions' current reality: by all appearances, this team is happily in the midst of a run.

"It's really great for the program," Carlton said. "We hope to keep on winning, and hopefully get to New York. That would make our season."