Lions shoot for last win over Canisius

By RYAN JONES
Collegian Sports Writer

NEW YORK -- After its run through the National Invitation Tournament came up short in Monday night's semifinal loss to Marquette, the men's basketball team found itself with an uncomfortable question to answer:

Is consolation any motivation?

The Nittany Lions (20-11) will find out at 6 p.m. tonight when they face Canisius (21-13) in the consolation game of the NIT at Madison Square Garden.

"I'm worried about it," Coach Bruce Parkhill said of a possible Lion letdown. "I was worried about it coming in here, being on the road the whole week and being tired. I'm definitely concerned about that. I think it's a real challenge."

The Golden Griffins will likely face the same threat of a drop off after their semifinal loss to Virginia Tech, and they'll also have to overcome a tremendous size disadvantage against Penn State.

Canisius is led by the undersized inside trio of 6-foot-9, 222 pound center Micheal Meeks; 6-foot-5, 198 pound forward Darrell Barley; and 6-foot-4, 195-pound forward Craig Wise. The three combined for 48.4 points per game on the season. But those impressive frontcourt numbers won't come easy against the Lions' inside bulk.

Nonetheless, Parkhill said the Griffins, who own wins over the likes of Cincinnati and Penn this season, should provide a challenge.

"We are playing a very, very good team," Parkhill said. "Canisius has got some real good athletes, and they're well coached, so it's really going to be a tough game for us."

The toughest part, however, still appears to be motivation. The Lions were soaring through the tournament until the Marquette loss knocked them back to earth, and getting off the ground for one final game could be difficult.

Despite their coach's worries, the Lions think they can piece together one more win.

"It's dissappointing to lose, but we'll be ready (tonight)," point guard Dan Earl said. "We want to end the season on a good note and win the last one for the seniors."