Pair gives show

By ROB AMEN
Collegian Sports Writer

NEW YORK -- It seems only fitting that a sophomore guard would be the one who could ultimately seal last night's contest.

After all, Penn State point guard Dan Earl and Marquette guard Anthony Pieper had put on a shooting display throughout the entire evening for the 8,023 in attendance here at Madison Square Garden.

So when Pieper stood at the free-throw line and stroked two free throws with 23.7 seconds remaining to secure an 87-79 Marquette victory in a National Invitation Tournament semifinal game, it came as no surprise.

And although Pieper's free throws only made it an 84-79 affair, it appeared that those tosses were the two the Lions could ill-afford to relinquish.

"I wasn't too concerned with the offensive end of things," Lion Coach Bruce Parkhill said. "Where they hurt us was at their offensive end."

For the night, Pieper scorched Penn State (20-11) for 31 points on 8-of-14 shooting -- 7-of-9 from three-point land. He also added five rebounds and two assists.

However, Marquette Coach Mike Deane wasn't quick to start expecting too much from his team.

"If you had seen us anytime prior . . .," he said with a pause, "If we were on a camel in the middle of the desert, we weren't hitting sand."

In comparison to Pieper, Earl hit for a career-high 26 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 5-of-6 on three-pointers to keep Penn State close. Earl also tallied eight assists in the losing effort.

Parkhill said he knew heading into the game that the Lions could not give Marquette (21-11) too many looks at the hoop. If they did, it would prove costly.

"The thing we were really concerned with going into the game became our nemesis," Parkhill said, "And that was the dribble penetration.

"It really just broke us down and allowed them a lot of open looks."

The open looks Parkhill mentioned became numerous in the second half for the Golden Eagles.

With Marquette down 37-28 with 17 minutes, 37 seconds remaining, Pieper nailed a trey which closed the Lion lead to 37-31. One minute and one second later, Pieper struck again with a tip-in to close the gap 37-35.

Nearly eight minutes later with Marquette up 54-53, Pieper connected again to increase the Golden Eagle lead to four.

But his opportunities were just as numerous in the first half, as he drained two back-to-back NBA-range threes about five minutes into the game.

Meanwhile, Earl was also hitting from the outside, matching Pieper shot for shot. Earl's shooting eventually opened a 36-20 lead for Penn State, but one it would ultimately relinquish.