Lions can't take the heat, give in to Illini pressure

Pete Lisicky stared straight ahead. The exasperated Penn State guard replayed his team's 77-71 loss to Illinois on Saturday in his head and struggled to find the reason why.

"I knew they were going to come out and pressure us," Lisicky said. "We knew we had to do something to counter it and we didn't. We let them do whatever they wanted to."

The pressure Lisicky spoke about was evident from the opening tip. As Penn State point guard Joe Crispin walked the ball up the floor, two Fighting Illini defenders came up to trap him and the freshman threw the ball away.

Illinois (15-7, 7-2 Big Ten) kept the pressure on during the first half, leading to a 19-point halftime lead. Penn State coach Jerry Dunn called Illinois' defense, "the best we've faced all year."

The Lions (10-8, 3-5) didn't roll over, though, as they battled back in the second half, going on a 15-6 run to open the half. They came as close as four points but could not overtake Illinois' lead.

"In the second half, I was pleased with our guys' effort," Dunn said. "Against a team like that you just can't afford to get that deep in a hole. I'm pleased with how tough-minded our guys came out in the second half. The results obviously weren't what we were looking for."

Lisicky's 3-pointer brought the Illini lead down to 63-59 with a little more than three minutes left in the game. But Illinois guard Kevin Turner responded with a 3-pointer of his own, erasing all hope of a Lion comeback.

"That was a big shot," Illinois coach Lon Kruger said. "Kevin's shooting the ball extremely well. He stepped up and knocked it down."

Turner showed Penn State just how well he's shooting in the first half when he was 6 for 8 from the field for 16 points. He finished the game with 26.

The 6-foot-3 guard also got the job done on the defensive side of the ball. He pestered Crispin all day and forced him to make four turnovers.

Crispin didn't look like the same player who scored 23 points last Wednesday against Iowa. He had only six points and went 0 for 5 from behind the 3-point line. Dunn said he knows with freshmen you never can know what to expect.

"I'm pleased and happy for him and our team when a freshman plays well," Dunn said. "I think it's unfair to expect him to do that night in and night out."

Penn State was led by Jarrett Stephens, who had his first double-double of the season and the third of his career. The forward from Ferndale, Mich., came off the bench to score 19 points and pull down 10 rebounds. He showed the moves and activity under the boards that made him a force for the Lions at the beginning of the season.

Behind Stephens, Lisicky had 17 points. After battling the flu, Lisicky said Saturday's game was the first in four he felt like himself. Also contributing for the Lions were Calvin Booth with 14 and freshman Greg Grays with 12 points.

Saturday's loss was the first of the season for the Lions in The Bryce Jordan Center. Their last home loss came on Feb. 25 of last year when they lost to Illinois 87-65.