Ivory steals victory from Wisconsin's back pocket

If basketball referees were police officers, then they'd cite Titus Ivory for various counts of theft.

If he's not stealing the ball from an opposing player, then he's stealing the momentum from a team.

At the end of Saturday's 75-69 Nittany Lion win over Wisconsin, Ivory jumped from the shadows of the blocks like a thief in the night after Calvin Booth bricked two free throws and knocked the ball off the Badgers' Sean Mason, retaining possession for the Lions. What made Ivory's play more special was the fact the Lions were clinging to a 71-69 lead.

"I tried to stand up and knock the ball down," Ivory said. "The ball came up and we were only up by two. I tried to get my hands on it and it went off of them."

And his defensive pressure led to an offensive onslaught for the redshirt freshman. In the opening minutes of the game, Ivory stole the ball from the Badgers' Hennsey Auriantal and drained his first of four 3-pointers of the night.

"It felt great," Ivory said. "I put some defensive pressure on them and wanted to be a threat on offense. I have a lot of confidence, and I just let it go."

Just like that, Ivory racked up some impressive numbers. He finished with a career-high 16 points. All his field goals came from the 3-point line, where he was 4 of 6, both career highs. He also finished the game with three steals.

"I know he can shoot," said freshman point guard Joe Crispin. "We all knew he could shoot. He is really playing well lately. He's gaining confidence and I have total confidence he'll bury most of his shots."

At the beginning of the season, Lion coach Jerry Dunn wasn't exactly sure where Ivory fit into the lineup. He was projected as a guard before the season but soon became the Lions' starting small forward.

"Titus sets the tone defensively," Dunn said. "He makes things happen. He played well on both ends of the floor."

Ivory's game wasn't without its flaws. Mason, who scored 30 points, a Bryce Jordan Center-high, caught Ivory twice in the air. In the middle of the first half, Mason faked a 3-pointer and caught Ivory in the air for a foul. Mason made all three free throws.

Ivory bit on Mason's fake again toward the end of the first half. The Badger guard scored two easy points at the foul line.

"(The freshmen) are going to make mistakes, but for the most part," Dunn said, "they'll do more good than bad."

In Ivory's case, being convicted of theft would be more good than bad.