NIT-tany Lions

Cagers face Dayton on road tonight

It took the Penn State men's basketball team 15 minutes to realize what was at stake.

But once the Nittany Lions (16-12) figured out a loss to Rider (18-10) last Wednesday night would have meant their season was over, they began to play like they never wanted the season to end.

The result was an 82-68 victory over the Broncos in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Penn State advances to play Dayton at 8 tonight in the University of Dayton Arena.

"They played tougher and more aggressively in the first 12 to 15 minutes," Penn State coach Jerry Dunn said of Rider. "We didn't seem as sharp as we normally do."

Rider's duo of Ken Lacey and Kevin McPeek was the difference in the opening minutes, outworking the Lions' frontcourt. Lacey had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while McPeek had 14 points.

"We were pleasantly surprised that we were able to do that against a Big Ten team," Rider coach Don Harnum said. "I think that was the key to us getting off to a good start."

The Broncos couldn't keep it up, though, and Penn State eventually awoke. Lion guard Pete Lisicky hit three 3-pointers before halftime and put Penn State ahead 35-32 going into the intermission.

Lisicky put in an inspired performance in what was probably his final game in The Bryce Jordan Center. He finished with a game-high 20 points, five assists and three steals. He also had a team-high seven rebounds.

Lisicky sparked his teammates, who picked up where he left off when they came out of the locker room. The Lions went on a 19-8 run to start the half and the Broncos couldn't recover.

While Lisicky was Penn State's offensive boost, Calvin Booth picked up the slack on defense. Booth finished with five blocks after being held to one in the first half.

"I thought (Booth) would have more an effect than he did," Harnum said. "I was worried he would set a school record."

Booth and frontcourt mate Jarrett Stephens contributed on the offensive end, too, finishing with 14 and 19 points, respectively.

Penn State cannot afford a 15-minute nap to start tonight's game. Dayton (21-11) finished third in the Atlantic 10 West behind Xavier and George Washington, both NCAA Tournament teams.

The Flyers are led by forward Ryan Perryman. The 6-foot-7 senior is averaging 15 points and 12 rebounds per game. Perryman had 18 points in Dayton's 95-92 first-round victory over Long Island. The Flyers had a total of five players in double figures.

The Lions will also be faced with a tough crowd. Dayton had 10,655 fans at the LIU game and the Flyers are 15-3 at home this season. They posted impressive victories over NCAA Tournament teams Eastern Michigan, Prairie View, Xavier, Temple, George Washington and Rhode Island. They also beat the only Big Ten team they played -- Northwestern.