Cagers run wild on Northwestern

Northwestern men's basketball coach Kevin O'Neill is looking for a few good men.

"We'll take walk-ons, crawl-ons or swim-ons," said the Wildcat coach.

The criteria for a spot on the Wildcats' roster is pretty basic -- play hard. That's all O'Neill asked for, but the Nittany Lions (9-6, 2-3 Big Ten) crushed his Wildcats (7-8, 1-5) 83-45 last night at The Bryce Jordan Center.

"This was a perfect game to be embarrassed by," O'Neill said. "I'm to the point where we'll play the guys who play hard. I'm not going to reward people who don't play hard."

The double teaming of Eschmeyer by Booth and Jackson didn't stop the Wildcat center from scoring a game-high 24 points, but the pressure kept the Wildcats' leader from doing any more damage.

"I'm a competitor and I'd like to guard Eschmeyer the whole game, but it (the double teaming) really helped," Booth said. "Carl did a good job on him. It also kept me out of foul trouble."

Which was what Penn State needed as the 6-foot-11 center created offensive opportunities for the Lions. After winning the tip, Booth got the ball back in the post and hit a one-handed fade away over Eschmeyer. Booth scored six points leading Penn State on a 15-2 run. He also blocked eight shots, a career high for a Penn State player in a Big Ten game.

"I was more aggressive right at the jump tonight," Booth said. "I thought if I played well against (Eschmeyer), I can get more respect from other teams. I know I can play."

And Penn State coach Jerry Dunn knew Jackson could play too as he started the 6-foot-9 center again in place of forward Jarrett Stephens. Jackson was perfect from the field for a career-high 10 points.

"I think it's important to start Carl," Dunn said. "It takes some pressure off Jarrett. We tried to keep Carl and Calvin matched up on Eschmeyer."

With Eschmeyer in check, the Lions kept up the scoring onslaught leading 32-20 with 1:06 left in the first half. Booth, on the receiving end of a Joe Crispin behind-the-back pass, slammed one for an easy two.

And with six seconds left, Greg Grays found a wide-open Stephens for a thunderous dunk that got the 8,986 fans on their feet to cap the first half.

"I thought Penn State played well," O'Neill said. "We got caught playing around the perimeter. We didn't deserve to come out in the second half. I thought up to this point, we've played hard."

The game was also the debut of Sam Crenshaw, a freshman wide receiver for the football team. Crenshaw played the last two minutes of the game but did not score.

But the Lions' biggest task will be to win a Big Ten road game. At 12:15 p.m. tomorrow at East Lansing, Mich., the Lions will play Michigan State, which is tied with Michigan atop the Big Ten.

"We have to stop their drive and penetration," Stephens said. "They all play hard. East Lansing is a hostile environment. We have to be mentally and physically prepared. We have to block out the crowd. We shouldn't look at it differently than any other game."